Blue Moon Moments
by Lynx and Banner
Summary: Every once in a blue moon, there are moments that take a person completely by surprise. Eventual Science Boyfriends; dark themes.
1. Unforeseen Outcomes

**As always, you need to know a few things before you start reading. This story is definitely a Science Boyfriends (Stanner, Brony) fic. There will be a bit of Pepper/Tony, Thor/Jane, and a few others. While Tony and Bruce are the main focus, the story revolves around the entire team. It will not have any detailed smut, but perhaps too many innuendos and suggestive comments. There will be dark themes in this story, and it is rated accordingly. I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapters with the darker parts. Any other information will be at the bottom of the page, under _Author's Notes._ That section is basically for any questions the chapter may have raised and any information you may need. So, now that you're informed, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned _the Avengers_, you would see Science Boyfriends in the film as well as the fandom.**

Tony Stark briefly wondered how it had all come down to this. Of course, he knew, but that was completely_ not the point_. This equation had so many unknown variables. He had prepared for nearly every outcome. Just not this one.

It was precisely four forty-seven in the morning, on a Tuesday, nearly five months after the Avengers had pulled together and kicked some ass to save the world. Well... Tony had technically saved the world, but that was also irrelevant. At the moment.

It was four forty-eight, on a Tuesday, and Tony was wide awake. This was not exactly rare, but normally he chose not to sleep in order to finish a project or something similar. Today, strangely enough, that was not reason. Tony Stark - self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist - could not sleep because of the oppressive silence. Of course, once he realized this, he turned on some music. Then he flicked on a lamp to chase away the lingering, suffocating feelings. It still didn't feel right so he turned on another lamp. Tried the TV. Turned off the TV, forgot the lamps, blared the music, turned on all the lights.

Nothing worked.

So, in an once-in-a-blue-moon moment, Stark admitted what was wrong. To himself, in his over-active mind, of course. Never aloud.

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist was alone. He wouldn't call it lonely - Tony Stark was never_ lonely_ - but he was alone. And it was starting to bother him. The Tower had never felt so empty.

His current pride and joy, Stark Tower, had been almost totally destroyed in the attack. While he was forking over the money to fix that, he decided to redo another one of his properties, a gigantic lake house in Jefferson county. It was built to fit the need of each Avenger, because they would surely be called together again. Knowing his teammates as he did, they would need somewhere to stay. The Black Widow and Hawkeye were gone too much to have any residence but S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters; Banner was always off in some third-world country; Stars and Stripes was off on an extended road trip. The demi-god didn't exactly live around here, either. The new lake house was more than Stark-centered now.

The house upstate wasn't the current problem, though. It was Stark Tower. With all the improvements to the Tower, nothing but the emptiness of it could be considered suffocating. Unless you counted the pool, which he was unwilling to muse about. Anyway, the place still felt suffocating. Had he not already drank (quite) a few glasses of scotch, he would have taken a drive. Messing up one of his cars, never mind that he could easily have them replaced, would only worsen his mindset. Stark was not in the mood to tinker away at his many inventions, toys, cars, and theories. He simply sat at his desk, in one of his many offices; the bottle of scotch on the desk was nearly empty.

With a repressed sigh, he made his way back to his room. Lights flickered out at his command as he fell into bed. Maybe the booze would put him out.

**OoOoO**

Right about this time, Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner was sleeping quietly in a private jet. The two had been called in for official Avengers business, and that's all they were told.

Banner had been found in an exceptionally small, dirty village that spoke only Tamil. He spent his time treating the sick and not quite relaxing. S.H.I.E.L.D. tracked Rogers to an equally small town called Lake Arthur, New Mexico. He was slowly but surely making his way across the country, stopping to see a few sights and meet a few people. The two had been enjoying their separate trips, but did not protest being brought it.

They would be at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in just under two hours.

**OoOoO**

Agents Romanoff and Barton were already awaiting the other members of the Avengers. With a suggestion from Hawkeye, the pair engaged in a fast-paced spar to take the edge off waiting. The time passed quickly in a flurry of dodging, strikes, kicks, jumps, flips, punches, and various forms of martial arts.

The jet would arrive in a bit over twenty minutes when they stopped.

It was time to call Stark.

**OoOoO**

Stark liked to think of himself as a reasonable man... Okay, who the hell was he kidding? Everyone knew Tony Stark was unreasonable, but calling him at seven the morning when he had a hangover was _unreasonably unreasonable_!

Glancing at the near blinding screen, he saw the caller ID was someone he had rather not talk to. Unfortunately, Fury would not be calling him for a chat. Stark answered the phone with a snapped greeting.

"You're needed." Nick Fury didn't elaborate.

Tony yawned. "Back in dreamland? Yeah, I know. Its pretty lovely there."

"Stark, nearly all of the Avengers are making their way from various places across the globe to the headquarters. They would be coming in from different planets, had we a way to contact Thor. You're in the same city."

Grumbling, Tony rolled out of bed. "I'll be there in ten."

He was there in twenty minutes, but details didn't matter.

When everyone was sitting at the table, looking hung over or various degrees of tired (Romanoff being the best off and Banner the worst), Fury began the makeshift meeting.

"I'm glad most of you could make it here today-" The booming sound of thunder stifled the rest of whatever he would say. Minutes later, Agent Hill escorted a smiling Thor (who had been informed of "the great need" he be here, and came, thanks to the power of the All Father again) into the meeting room. "I'm glad all of you could make it here today," Fury amended as the demi-god was seated next to Steve. "While this is not a global or even national emergency, it is a pressing matter." He approached the table, looking at each member closely. "While I often disagree with the World Security Council, they recently made a point I could not ignore.

"The Avengers worked very well together when prompted with Loki's attack and encouraged by Agent Coulson's death," many of the members' facial expressions darkened at the event being described as _encouraging_, "but were volatile and unable to function before that. The Council fears that this team only works when motivated by a deep need of revenge or hatred. If the Avengers cannot work together without someone being sacrificed, the team will be dismantled. I do not want to see this happen; I presume all of you feel the same." Nods and affirmatives were given. Well, Tony sort of grumbled a bit. "To ensure this, I have come to a decision. The Avengers need to be in closer contact with one another. If you are to be a team, you need to know one another as one."

Fury turned to the screens behind him and pulled up a few blueprints of the new and improved lake house. Tony, who was too hung over to make any cheeky comments thus far, probably would have slammed his head against the table had it not been for the aforementioned hangover.

"Mr. Stark here has already been kind enough to get rid of any problems with the plan. He has built specialized rooms for each of the Avengers in one of his New York homes. This includes an extra lab, archery range, improved gyms, and personalized living quarters. If the blueprints are correct, it fits each and every one of the team's needs." All eyes turned to Tony.

Normally, he loved being the center of attention. With this awkward silence and his headache, it wasn't so appreciated.

"Man of Iron!" Thor's voice, as always, boomed. "Is what we see true?"

"Yes, Thunder Voice, it is," the billionaire admitted reluctantly.

Bruce Banner turned to his fellow scientist, frowning slightly. "Were you told about these plans before?"

Stark pushed his sunglasses up into his hair, wincing at the light. "No, actually. I wasn't. Originally, I added all that stuff if we were called together to fight off more aliens or whatever. I knew none of you bums would have a decent place to stay." Tony gave Bruce a rather pointed look with the last comment. He had not quite accepted the fact that Banner's "staying" with him lasted a mere two days.

Now Steve spoke, his words directed at the silent Nick Fury. "You expect all of us to live together without the place being destroyed within a week?"

"That place better not be destroyed within a week. It cost me much more to Hulk-proof a few rooms than it did to rebuild half of the damn tower," Stark grumbled. "Furthermore, I haven't accepted all of you into my house! The only one with an actual invitation is the Jolly Green Giant over here."

"If you didn't want us there, why did you admit to building it for us?" The rest of the team seemed to agree to Barton's question.

"In case of an emergency, bird-brain. Not for tea parties and vent-crawling. I use all of the things I added, except the bedrooms."

Banner raised his eyebrows at Tony. "You use," he looked over the blueprints, still enlarged on the screens, "two labs, a concrete and steel enforced room, and an archery range?"

"I have too many experiments to keep in one lab, Dr. Banner. The Stronghold, as I like to call it, is incase of emergencies. Like a zombie apocalypse, lab explosion, ect." The lies slipped from Tony's lips nonchalantly. With his reasoning, they were hard to debunk.

"And the archery range?"

"A recent hobby."

"What about the gym filled with various acrobatic necessities and a ballet barre?"

Tony shrugged and made a rather suggestive comment about flexibility, causing Steve's ears to turn red. Knowing that was a lie, Natasha and Clint were a bit surprised at how far Stark had gone to improve the lake house to their needs, despite his continued denials.

Eventually, after many badgering questions and prods at the new additions to the property, Tony Stark caved in and told them the house was Avenger-specified; therefore, he may as well let the Avengers stay there. With rules, of course. Fury informed them that they would indeed all be living - temporarily - at the lake house in order to solidify the team. He did not want any "dumb-ass problems" the next time the team needed to assemble. Tony called Pepper to inform her of the decision, and complain about it; after that, he called Happy to tell him that his services would be needed in New York rather than Malibu, which Stark had planned to return to.

It was going to be a decidedly long six months.

**Author's Notes:**  
**1** As you can tell, this story does contain Stark's colorful language and has been rated to contain such.  
**2** There will be a few half-quotes or nods at lines or actions in the movies (mainly_ Iron Man_, _Thor_, and _The Avengers_), so be warned.  
**3** I'm quite sure that a lake house in upstate NY was never mentioned, seeing as how I invented it. To get a feel for the area, I used pictures of Lake Ontario (via New York, of course) and places like Hamlin, NY. It's sort of far from NYC, but i don't figure _Tony friggin' Stark_ would have any issues with that.  
**4** Also, Thor's return is alluded to in _the Avengers_, but not explained (probably because it will be mentioned in _Thor 2_ or something...which I'm ridiculously excited for. More Darcy, anyone?). So I took liberties based on the information we get from Loki's comment in _The Avengers_.


	2. Strong Suits

Moving into Tony's lake house (Hawkeye referred to it as the Avengers Tower because of its numerous floors and because it bugged Stark) wasn't really something Steve Rogers was looking forward to.

For one, he and Stark could never quite get along. And Stark "laying down the rules" was not something he was comfortable with. Putting the two of them in the same vicinity was asking for something to blow up. And Steve had had enough destruction to last him a while, thank you very much. Destruction was the main focus of his second problem - Dr. Banner. Actually, it wasn't so much Dr. Banner as it was his "enormous green rage monster" that appeared occasionally. Steve was actually fond of Dr. Banner, but couldn't trust the man's control. Of course, as Captain America, he knew that it was a very unfair hand to be dealt as a person. He very near pitied Bruce; such a smart, polite young man stuck with such a terrible curse. Steve just didn't want anything else to happen.

He didn't have overwhelming issues with the rest of his team. While still a bit disbelieving that Thor was an actual god, Steve liked him. Having someone else who knew so little about this time made him feel less put out. Steve felt that he was closest to Thor, out of his fellow Avengers.

Hawkeye and Black Widow were just fine by him. They had their secrets and were very private people, which Steve respected even if he didn't quite understand, but they didn't cause trouble. Well, Barton was known for the occasional prank. However, they were relatively normal.

Rogers thought, despite how bad of an idea this was, it could be okay. If they all kept themselves in check - mainly Tony - this living arrangement would be alright. He was, after all, an optimist by nature.

**OoOoO**

"Alright, spies, demi-god, and the genetically enhanced - listen up. This is the lake house. You each have designated rooms that are fit for your needs. Tomorrow, Pepper will be here, making a list of everything you need and do not have." He turned and frowned at Hawkeye. "This list will include household items only. So no sports cars or stocks. Now follow me." He led them down a long hallway, stopping at two doors on opposite sides of the hall. Each door had a scanner on the side and appeared to slide open. "To the left is your room, Barton. To the right is Natasha's. They are on the bottom floor for a quick escape or access, to ease your spy-paranoia. Each one is equipped with the basics. They are set to open at only your hand print and my own. You can add another person's if you must." He gave them a rather suggestive look. "Enjoy."

Hesitantly, the spies entered their respective rooms. Tony led the remaining group to an elevator. "Well, come on," he said to the hesitating group. "You still haven't opened door number three, gentlemen." Steve and Thor looked slightly confused at the reference.

Nonetheless, Thor happily bounded into the elevator behind Tony, prompting the rest of the team to follow. A few awkward moments were spent in the slightly cramped space before the doors reopened.

"Spangles, this is your room." Immediately across from the elevator was another door, with a simple knob and lock. "Knock yourself out." When Steve had entered his room, they moved on again. "Thor, buddy, this is your room." This door was a thick, metal door with an image of Mjölnir.

"What a wonderful image of Mjölnir!" Thor clasped Tony's forearms, surely leaving bruises with his happiness. "Thank you, friend Tony."

Stark rubbed his sore arms when the god of thunder let go. "Sure, no problem." Thor laughed again and disappeared inside his room. Seeming to regain his friendly attitude, Tony clapped a hand on Bruce's shoulder with much less force than he had been handled with. "Now, Bruce-y boy, we get to see your room!" Tony nearly dragged the doctor back to the elevator and fidgeted the entire five-second ride to the next floor. Before the doors would open, JARVIS spoke.

"You must speak the code before you are permitted to exit on this floor," the AI prompted.

"Science bros," Stark replied easily. As the doors opened, he explained to Bruce, "I figured you would need a bit more space than the others, considering your tendency to grow four times your size on a bad day. The code is just your own form of security."

"Science bros?" Bruce had to admit, the password was pretty amusing.

"Of course!" He gestured towards the room. "Now, you have the basic bedroom stuff, yada yada yada. Your closet is probably about as big as the hut Romanoff found you in a few months ago, by the way. Then, back here, you have a private bathroom with all the relaxing shit money can buy (I would know, of course) and the Stronghold. It's concrete and steel enforced, large enough for the Hulk to roam around in, and soundproof. You could go in there and Hulk out for the hell of it if you wanted."

"I think I'll be good," Banner replied dryly. "Is this the entire floor, though?"

"Yep," Tony replied, lazily popping the P.

Bruce took a moment to look taken aback. "I don't... Tony, this is too much."

"The hell it is! I built this specifically for you. I'm not gonna tell Romanoff to switch you rooms so she can practice making bombs to blow me up or something." He looked at Bruce, pinning the shorter man in place with his eyes. "I did this for you. This is your home now, Banner. Even when you run off to some third-world country, you will have an actual home to miss. You damn well have one you better return to, after you get the urge to run out of you." Every word Stark said was spoken with his usual easy-going tone. However, Bruce could feel the hard-toned implications under the surface. Tony was serious.

Taking a shaky breath, Bruce thanked him profusely. "Really, it means more than you know," he finished. "Most people wouldn't have even let me enter their yard."

"I know damn well what it means, Bruce-y. Being Tony Stark means that you have to know what you're doing a hundred and twelve percent of the time. That doesn't mean I have to care, but it means I know."

**OoOoO**

The separate Avengers all took to their new rooms differently.

Thor, of course, was immediately comfortable in his. It was decorated with high, sweeping ceilings and a color scheme of red, gold, and black. The bed was large and luxurious, as were the other pieces of furniture. The television was fairly simple by normal standards, but he would have to ask one of the others to teach him. He felt rather at home.

Natasha, as a spy, wasn't feeling quite so at home. Not that she really had a home, unless S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ counted. Her room was sleek and Spartan; the floor and walls were mostly bare. Under the bed was a sizeable green rug, the only thing covering the cool black tile. It was a lovely room, catered to her needs, but it wasn't home.

Contradicting his own secretive nature, Clint felt very open in his room. The rafters, large windows, and patio leading to the garden were all pretty great. It was spacious and well-lit. He could definitely get used to staying in the Tower, which he had taken to calling the lake house.

Unlike his other teammates, Steve Rogers didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he was elated about the room. On the other, it made him want to cling to the past. Stark had gone above and beyond with Steve's room, though he wouldn't admit it unless you threatened to key his cars. In many ways, the room was like simple, homey living quarters. The colors were soft. Like Barton's room, the windows were of considerable size and provided a lot of light. They over-looked the lake. His room was very lacking in modern technology, save for a very new television and many movies. The movies ranged from the forties until now; Steve didn't know if he'd ever finish them. To complete the room, a few pictures sat on the wooden nightstand. One was of himself and Howard. The other was of Peggy. However Stark had gotten a hold of these pictures, Steve was grateful.

Bruce knew exactly how he felt about his room. It was wonderful, generous, and very trusting of Tony to do this for him. Trust was something Bruce hadn't been given in a long while. While he explored each nook and cranny of his room - from the closest that was indeed bigger than the hut to the Stronghold - he only hoped he could keep the gift he didn't deserve.

**OoOoO**

Lunch was more of an adventure than it was an event.

Tony sat them down at the table to inform him of the rules within the Avengers Tower (Clint had insisted). "First off, respect privacy. Not just mine - even though that's clearly the most important. Each of you have your own brand of security, from a dingy lock to scanners, based on your needs. So don't screw around and get tasered because you're curious. This privacy extends to my garage. Dr. Banner, as a certified genius I get along with, is allowed within the labs. JARVIS will respond to you, on reasonable levels. Isn't that right, JARVIS?" The last sentence was said with a slight smirk.

"Of course, sir." Half the table jumped at the AI, including Barton. Natasha sent him a withering look.

Thor frowned at the ceiling. "What is this sorcery?" he rumbled.

"Calm down, big guy. That's JARVIS, an artificial intelligence. Basically, he's a computer that responds to what you need. All you have to do is address him and he'll help you out." When the matter had been settled, Tony moved on. "I work, quite a lot, really. So I expect you to find ways to entertain yourselves. Most of the rooms will open for you, including the gym, entertainment room, and sun room. This is a very impressive lake house; it better be for what I payed to fix it up like, this. There's a ton to do.

"In my never-ending generosity," he gave a pointed glare to the ones who snickered, "I have brought three of my vehicles for your use. One of them is for practical traveling; that would be the Lexus 350. There's the Harley, a lovely V-Rod Muscle, for those of you that like the open road. Lastly, I've brought my very expensive, very recently bought 1963 Ferrari. If any harm befalls these vehicles and it wasn't caused by an army of aliens or zombies or something...there will be revenge. Drooling on the interior is included as damage, Hawky.

"Now, I just have a few base things. No climbing in the air vents; try not to break my technology; tazing, shooting, maiming, killing, threatening without good reason, stabbing, punching, and anything else is frowned upon. The pool and lake access, along with however many boats I have on the dock, are open whenever. When Pepper makes that list tomorrow, she'll also ask about your food preferences so the kitchen will be stocked accordingly." He looked at his...guests. "Any questions?"

Steve caught Tony's attention. Of course Stars and Stripes didn't understand something there, was Stark's immediate thought. "What will be done about the chores?"

Tony blinked. "Chores?"

"Laundry, dishes, cleaning up?"

"Well, I planned to hire someone tomorrow."

A frown crossed the man's features. "Isn't that a bit lazy?"

"Look, Spandex, you try running a multi-billion dollar empire. It isn't easy. I don't have time or patience to come home and whistle while I sweep or whatever."

"I think, as guests and a team, we should do the chores ourselves. With so many of us, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Or it would be a bigger problem."

Bruce, trying to find a medium for the two opinions, spoke. "Steve has a point. Chores are good for teamwork. Isn't that the point in this? However, Tony does have work to do. Really, a lot of us do. Clint and Natasha are always off on missions; I have research and experiments. I think we should split the chores according to our ability to do them, our time, and what really needs done."

"That's not a bad idea," Steve mused. "All of us would have the respect to pick up after ourselves' anyway, so it isn't as if the chores would take very long."

Tony felt slightly betrayed, huffing when the rest of the team decided that would work. "Alright, we'll draw sticks or make a list sometime. Now who wants pizza?"

**OoOoO**

When lunch was over, and the resulting microwave extinguished and hauled away, Tony retreated to his lab.

Dr. Banner spent a few minutes explaining how to work a microwave to Thor. The demi-god seemed to catch on quickly enough. When Thor was safely on his way to a friendly spar with Steve, Bruce followed the directions JARVIS had given him for the lab. He found Stark with his face pressed into an impressive microscope. The man looked up a few moments after the doors slid open.

"Ah, Dr. Banner. I knew you'd be down here soon enough. Couldn't resist the lure?" The man wiggled his eyebrows in time with his words.

"Science always has been a weakness of mine."

"Really? I thought it was more of a strong suit." Bruce shook his head good-naturedly at the joke while Tony laughed. "Oh, come on, you walked right into that one, Bruce."

The two bantered for a while longer, before settling into the normal routine of science. Tony went back to what he was doing; Bruce found a clear workspace and began analyzing a few samples of a mutated virus he'd been treating in the village he'd last stayed in. Maybe, with all the advanced technology and unlimited access to it, he could find a cure. The thought made him smile

**Author's Notes:**  
**1** I couldn't resist adding the "What is this sorcery?" line.  
**2** The vehicles Tony refers to include: Lexus RX 350, one of the top ranking luxury SUVs; the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle, a Harley model that uses the best computer designing; and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California.  
**3** Yes, the whistle thing Tony said during the talk about chores was a Snow White jab.  
**4** One reviewer mentioned that I switch points of view. While this is not a popular style of writing, authors have previously taken it on. It may be confusing, but I feel it will work best for this story. I apologize for any problems you may have while reading due to this.  
**5.** Thank you for all the feedback, favorites, and alerts. :)


	3. Advances

The "Avengers Tower" wasn't what Pepper expected.

Oh, she expected it to be flashy. Settled into the side of a hill, somewhere near Hamlin on the shore of Lake Ontario, the location could have made anything beautiful. It was four stories high, not including however many underground levels Tony surely put in. The house was all sleek edges and glass panels; it was exactly what she would have thought it would be.

The inside was what shocked her. Instead of the lovely decor being blown to bits and the couch on fire, it was relatively calm. Nothing was smoking, disintegrated, or ripped apart. In fact, most of the household was just sitting in the living room, watching _Vertigo_. The two missing happened to be Tony and Dr. Banner. Hawkeye and the Black Widow were watching from a sofa that seated two. Thor and Captain America sat on the larger couch, discussing the movie animatedly.

JARVIS told them of her arrival just before she entered the room. The team paused the movie and Steve stood to greet her.

"Good morning, Ms. Potts." He shook her hand firmly and introduced the others. When that was settled, he asked, "Are you here to make the lists Stark spoke of?"

"Yes, I am." Pepper sat them back down, and, fully equipped with her Blackberry, began with what they needed. Their preferences for toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and the likes were taken first. When Steve and Thor revealed that they had next to nothing, she set up an appointment to take them shopping. After that, the list for the kitchen was made. Pepper noted to buy plenty of Poptarts, in many flavors.

She was impressed on how well the members seemed to get along. True, Tony and Dr. Banner weren't present, but the majority got along rather amiably. Steve and Thor each seemed to feel like outsiders, considering they weren't up-to-date. Natasha and Clint were very used to each other, due to their work. The spies would help the other two when they were unsure of what was needed, a reference, or anything else. Occasionally, though, Clint would slip a bit of mischief into what he said. Natasha usually fixed that.

Pepper stood up, thanking the members of the Avengers for their time. When she moved to go to Tony's lab, Thor's softly spoken words stopped her.

"A moment, please, assistant to Stark."

She turned back to face him, smiling. "You can call me Pepper."

"Pepper," he continued, his voice rumbling lowly, "I am aware you have means to contact other Midgardians, correct?"

Confusion laced her tone when she inquired, "Midgardians?"

"People of Midgard, or Earth."

"Was there someone you wanted to talk to?" Pepper hadn't been aware Thor knew many people.

"Yes! I have need to speak with Jane Foster, or Darcy. Selvig knows of them." The demi-god seemed rather worried, or perhaps anxious.

"I'll see what I can do, alright? Tony will tell you if I have any news."

He took her hand and kissed it, a much happier expression crossing his face. "I would be forever in your debt, Miss Pepper."

**OoOoO**

To be honest, Virginia Potts wasn't very fond of the idea of the Hulk staying with Tony.

It had nothing to do with Dr. Banner, as a person. From his brief stay - which she also disagreed with, not that Tony cared - at Stark Tower, she had discovered he was infinitely polite and intelligent. Dr. Banner understood and used Tony's humor against him. They seemed to get along amazingly well. In the two-day span, Banner had not only shown potential in being a great coworker and science-buddy, but a real friend to Tony Stark. Their banter and ability work together was proof of that.

The fact that Dr. Banner was a potential friend to Tony was definitely saying something. It took a lot to handle Stark and even more to understand him. In such a small amount of time, the man behind the Hulk had managed to do both. It was an impressive feat, something Pepper wished would have been a safer, longer experience.

Even with the threat of him "hulking out," as Tony was so fond of calling it, a part of Pepper had been sad to see Bruce go. He was good for her eccentric boss/boyfriend. After Banner ran off to some country in need, Tony had moped around the Tower and spoken of his missing colleague often.

Now, though, her worries returned. Tony was still volatile, even though he's less self-centered and improved his teamwork skills a bit. Anything could escalate into Dr. Banner losing control.

And if Harlem didn't stand a chance, she knew Tony wouldn't.

**OoOoO**

Following the sound of blaring Sugarcult, Pepper found Tony Stark and Bruce Banner hard at work in a Stark-certified lab.

The two geniuses were working on...something; Tony was tapping away at a computer, while Bruce seemed to be calling out data figures. She paused, waiting for a stopping point. The break came when Banner stopped speaking and Tony turned around.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Potts," her boss drawled.

"Hello, again, Dr. Banner," she said politely as she approached the scientists. Swatting Tony's hands away, she chided him, "Behave yourself."

"Hello, Miss Potts," Bruce replied, politely.

"Are you here to tell me how much you miss me every minute you're gone, Peps?"

"No, Tony. I'm here to do my job."

"That's not very fun."

Pepper ignored him, getting back to her reason for being here. "So, Dr. Banner, is there anything you need for your stay?"

"Bruce-y and I will have an outing for that. All you really need to get down is his food info ." Tony tinkered with one of the microscopes sitting near the scientists' project as he spoke.

Pepper frowned and asked, "An outing?" Bruce looked just as confused as Stark's assistant did.

"Yeah. I'm not going to let him walk around with me in anything less than Stark-approved. It's my responsibility as a science bro." Tony looked at Bruce. "Don't make any plans tomorrow, hm?"

"Tony," Pepper said, frowning further, "there's a few things wrong with this situation. First of all, this project is about teamwork. Pairing up isn't going to improve the team, only a few relationships. Secondly, you have a meeting tomorrow at nine." She didn't mention that they were supposed to go to lunch together afterwards; a childish part of her hoped he'd remember.

He waved his hand dismissively. "I'll spend quality time with the rest of the kids, too, Mom. And if the meeting was important enough, I would have remembered it."

Banner stared at Miss Potts carefully, noticing the way her eyes tightened as Tony ignored all of what she had just said and probably something she hadn't. "Tony, don't blow off your work for me. If you insist on taking me on an 'outing', we can easily go some other time." Pepper shot him a slightly grateful glance at his words.

"I'm sure its not that important. Right, Peps?"

Her frown was now a full-blown scowl. "Of course not, Mr. Stark." Before he could reply, she pivoted and stalked out of the lab.

Tony blinked. "Well, then." And he went back to the microscope.

**OoOoO**

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers is searching for you. I'm positive the music will lead him here eventually," JARVIS informed.

"Damn," he muttered. "Alright, Bruce-y. I guess we should go see what the good ole Cap'n needs." Stark put his safety goggles away and rubbed his eyes. "We can get some coffee while we're at it."

Bruce agreed, amused at his teammate's antics. "Don't you think Steve will find it suspicious that we're exiting the lab just as he's looking for us?"

"He's from the forties. He'll think it's God's gift of luck to him or whatever."

"Not religious, Stark?"

"Not obvious, Banner?" he countered. "Why believe in what I can't see?"

"I guess blind faith isn't your thing."

"Nothing blind is my thing. Unless you mean decisions, and then yes. Blind decisions definitely are my thing."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Banner drawled sarcastically.

"You aren't a blind decision. I've seen the Hulk, and your level of control." He smirked. "Besides, its nice to know I have someone who would rather save my life than threaten it around here."

"Stark?" they heard Steve call. "Is that you?"

The science bros rounded a corner to see Rogers looking confused. "The one and only, Cap'n. What do you want?"

"The others mentioned dinner. We were wondering if you had any plans, or if you wanted to go out and get something with us. The invitation extends to you, too, Dr. Banner."

"No, thank you. I'm fine," Bruce replied.

Tony clapped him on the back, as he seemed wont to do. "Don't listen to him Cap. I know this great shawarma place around here..." He continued to describe the restaurant as they made their way back to the living room. Barton, Romanoff, and Thor awaited them. I'll have Happy bring around the Lexus. Banner and I are gonna take my baby." He relayed his instructions to JARVIS.

"You have children? I have not seen them! Nor have I noticed any nursemaids," Thor rumbled, confused. Clint and Natasha shared a look at the thought of Tony Stark having children.

"No, he doesn't have children. Thankfully," Rogers added, thoughtfully. "Some people refer to things they really like as their 'baby' to show others that its special." He seemed proud to have gotten this reference.

"Any children of mine would be genius, attractive little devils, Spangles. And I was talking about something special. My Audi." Stark rolled his eyes. "Now, c'mon. Don't wanna keep Happy waiting."

While they were all quite sure Tony Stark didn't care about keeping anyone waiting, they followed. Stark forced Banner into his Audi, telling Happy to follow, and sped away. To his credit, Happy was used to this and kept up fairly well. He tailed the Audi expertly. Dinner was a relatively normal affair. No one but Thor was brave enough to try the shawarma with goat meat; the demi-god loudly proclaimed the glory of the dish and demeaned another. (Thankfully, he remembered that smashing things wasn't very polite.) Nothing was blown up, Tony made nearly too many jabs at Steve, and Clint switched Steve's water with vodka, but it ended well enough.

When they returned to the Avengers Tower, the team elected to watch another movie to get Steve more up-to-date. _A Hard Day's Night_ was the choice. Tony tried to run off, but a few sharp comments from Natasha and coercion from Bruce made him stay. The team seemed to get along well enough, once Steve tuned out Tony's quips. Stark did leave midway, answering a phone call from Pepper. He came back with a stiff posture and even more amiably sarcastic disposition than before.

After the movie, the others (save Stark) took turns answering any questions that Steve or Thor had. It was a very productive evening, even by normal standards. The team dispersed to their separate rooms or activities on a rather good note.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** I chose _Vertigo_ as the movie they watch for a reason, people. It was a big movie back in the day, and not terribly far off from Steve's time. It has nothing to do with Marvel Comics (as far as I'm aware), so nothing gets awkward.  
**2** Also, I had some hardcore disappointment issues when Jane or Darcy didn't show in _Avengers_ (even though, like Thor's return to Earth, that was probably to be left up to _Thor 2_). So I will remedy this.  
**3** Pepper's real name is Virginia, for anyone who was confused. I didn't make it up.  
**4** Sugarcult is used in _Iron Man_, and I enjoy them, so they made a cameo.  
**5** Tony's religious views have nothing to do with my own; I just don't imagine him believing. No rude comments, kids.  
**6** Tony's baby, the 2008 Audi R8, is used in the movies. It's pretty much his favorite. Can't say I blame him.  
**7**_ A Hard Day's Night_ was chosen for a reason, too. I did not only choose because was a popular movie; the main focus was _The Beatles._ We all know they were a big part of changing American pop-culture (Fun Fact: I actually live near a very impressive _Beatles_ monument), and that changing pop-culture is good for bonding-and-helping-Steve moments.  
**8** To do some shameless promotion, its my birthday. So drop me a review or these comment things to make me happy, 'kay? ;D


	4. Show of Hands

Nearly all of the Avengers were plagued by something that didn't let them sleep.

Memories of missions and her training haunted Natalia Romanova. Her days in the field did nothing to stop the night terrors. She didn't wake up screaming, which was a blessing. Instead, she often awoke to feel the ghosts of her past pressing down, suffocating her. Her hands would shake and her skin would lose any color it had. A long time ago, she learned to keep a gun under her pillow. It was the only comfort she had found.

Clint Barton is assaulted by memories as well. Instead of coming to him in his sleep, they creep up as he's relaxing his mind to rest. Flashbacks of being beaten so close to death, Natasha being wounded so many times in the field, and being controlled by Loki are dominant in these terrible moments. He used rigorous exercise to tire out his body, eventually leading to collapse. As long as he sleeps, it works for him.

As a demi-god, Thor's early life was easy, though not cushioned. As a warrior, he knows death and accepts it. As a brother, Loki's actions are imprinted on the inside of his eyelids. Loki's actions were unforgivable; he fights with himself over his feelings on the subject. While what Loki did was unjustified and terrible, Thor recognizes their brotherhood. As a man, the worries for Jane and anxieties about finding her rampage him mind. He promised to return to her, but could not. Thor knows Jane spent some time searching for him, which is comforting, but he knows not if she still searches. It has only grown worse with his return to Midgard. Until he has seen her, the anxiety will persist to keep him awake.

No one would find it easy to sleep with flashbacks from a war, thoughts of everyone they knew being so much older or dead, and the constant feeling of being misplaced. Steve Rogers probably has the best handle on his problems. Sketching and exercise are two constant outlets for his sleeplessness. While they aren't guaranteed to always work, they normally do. And that's good enough for him.

Anthony Stark still had nightmares about the cave and Phil Coulson's death. He never really grasped the concept of mourning, so his sorrow came out in other ways. Sometimes, he would stay awake for days and create something he didn't plan or know what it would be used for. Other times, he worked on his various cars and projects. Most nights, he was accompanied by louder-than-necessary rock music and alcohol. When he didn't stay up for days at a time, he would lose a night of rest to nightmares or refusing to sleep. It was manageable, even if Pepper hated it. She wasn't around nearly enough to catch most of it, though.

Surprisingly enough, Bruce Banner slept relatively well. All of his problems assaulted him in the waking hours. He had a firm handle on the memories of his childhood, past transformations, and anything else after so many years. While he did not sleep much, he slept well. It was the day he feared. The Other Guy lurked beneath his improving control; each second he was awake (excluding right after transformations) proved to be a battle to keep his anger from rising. The Hulk could be let out when he needed it, but it could not be capped as easily.

Occasionally, though, there would be a night that the memories got the better of him and refused to let him sleep.

Tonight was one of those nights.

**OoOoO**

Natalia Romanova is an exceptionally strong woman. As Natasha Romanoff, she likes to think of herself even stronger than her Russian counterpart. She has her demons and manages them accordingly, so they do not interfere with her work.

Every once in a while, her strength lessens. It does not - has never - failed her, but it has weak points. In these blue moon moments, she sought her personal forms of comfort. Namely, a good spar or a bit of rum. Seeing as how no one else appeared to be awake...

Tonight was just one of those nights.

**OoOoO**

Bruce Banner stood, stretching his sore muscles as he did so. It was well past two in the morning. He flicked off the remaining lights in the lab and made his way towards the elevator. As he entered the kitchen, he realized he wasn't alone in his sleeplessness. Sitting at the informal dining table was the Black Widow, shot glass in hand and bottle to her right.

"Good morning, Dr. Banner," she said softly.

"A bit early to be drinking, don't you think?"

And her reply, "A bit late to be working, don't you think?" was so like Tony he had to smile.

"Care if I sit with you?" Bruce knew she was still wary of him; he didn't blame her, after the Helicarrier incident. Nonetheless, the spy nodded her agreement and sipped at her rum. "What brings you here?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"And needed to chase the nightmares away with rum?"

She gave him an unreadable stare. Normally, it was very difficult to read her. Perhaps it was common sense, given the people around them. They all had their own demons. Natasha gave him a quick, respective nod. "It happens occasionally. I didn't want to wake Hawkeye just so he could spar with me."

Bruce was a bit taken aback by her frankness, but nodded in understanding. "It happens to the best of us."

The pair set in silence for a while, idle chatter picking up and dropping off at intervals. Banner got a cup of coffee at one point. Natasha filled her glass four more times before he ambled off to his designated floor. When he left, she was capping the bottle and hoping the hour of decent company did her some good. Only time would tell, really.

**OoOoO**

Natasha and Bruce did not have a moment of intense camaraderie the next morning, but a bit more understanding fell between them. Clint noticed this barely perceptible shift. He didn't ask about it; the first lesson he learned working with Natasha was that she spoke when she needed to and not when you asked.

"Good morning," Steve said as he entered the kitchen, being the last to come in. Tony had grabbed a cup of coffee and retreated to his office for a while.

Various forms of greetings were given. Thor's happened to be around a mouthful of frosted strawberry Poptart. He had yet to find a favorite, but decidedly did not enjoy the unfrosted, fruit varieties.

"Steve, I nearly forgot. Pepper said she would return tomorrow and she wanted to speak with you, specifically, about the list of chores. Tony mentioned it yesterday." Dr. Banner looked up from a newspaper, waiting for a response.

"Why didn't Stark just tell me himself?"

"I only heard this because he talks to himself."

"Insane, Stark is," Hawkeye grumbled.

"The jury is still out on that one, folks, so you'll have to wait. Suspense and all that," Tony quipped, entering the kitchen in a finely tailored suit and shoes more polished than the marble countertops. "Bruce! Why aren't you dressed?"

"Technically, I am dressed," he replied.

"Ha-ha. I appreciate the joke. Now, go get more respectable clothes on. I'm certainly not taking you shopping for my health." Over his sunglasses, Tony glanced at Bruce's tousled hair and rather unbecoming, tattered shirt. "Maybe I am. My arc reactor can only take so much." He pushed his glasses back up.

Steve frowned at Stark. "You're taking Banner shopping?"

"Have you seen his wardrobe? Or lack thereof?"

"Thor and I are also in need of clothing. I thought you said Pepper was in charge of this. You aren't taking us as well, are you?"

"Oh, no. I'm only taking Bruce-y Boy here because no Science Consultant of mine will be anything less than Stark-approved. And as of now, Stark does not approve."

Bruce nearly dropped his coffee. "Science Consultant?"

"Of course! Do you know how hard it is to find someone who speaks science like I do? Hell, you speak science better than I do. There's no way I'd give anyone else the position."

"Tony, this is an incredibly generous offer... But I don't think I can accept it."

His brow knit together and he removed his sunglasses to look at Bruce skeptically. "Why in the world not?"

"One, I'm pretty sure you just made the position up. Two, your board of directors will not accept such a liability for the made-up position. And finally, I can't even guarantee I'll be here for the six months Fury demanded, let alone long enough to take on such a responsibility fully."

The other members were strangely silent, watching the geniuses argue.

"Banner, we are Science Bros, proper noun here! There is no way I'm letting you refuse this completely legitimate position. I don't trust anyone else with it. As for the board of directors, if they can't see how qualified you are, maybe I need a board of directors for my board of directors! Besides, it is Stark Industries, not Stark's Board of Directors Industries. My opinion is final."

"That doesn't mean-"

"It means what I say it means," Tony said with an air of finality. "Now go get dressed so we can have you properly dressed within the next day."

Tiredly, Bruce rubbed his hand over his face and followed Stark's demands. When he was safely in the elevator, Steve spoke up.

"Stark, do you think this is wise?"

"Do I think what's wise, Cap?"

"Hiring the Hulk-"

Tony froze, then held up a hand to stop Steve from speaking further. "Look, Spandex, I'm not hiring the Hulk for anything. I am hiring Doctor Bruce Banner," he heavily emphasized the title, "to do what he's good at. Consult me on scientific matters."

"When you hire one, you hire the other."

"While that's true, it doesn't mean I have anything to fear about hiring Bruce."

"You have plenty to fear! He could wipe out any of your building, along with the people inside, in a matter of minutes!"

"Did you learn nothing from that time when we, ya know, saved the world with his help? How many of us believed he would show up and help, hm? Show of hands here!" Stark held his hand up high. "No one else? Don't you think you would have learned something from that?"

"Tony, you're being a bit childish here-" Natasha was cut off when Tony spoke again.

"Childish? Isn't prejudice a bit childish? If you could, name one instance where Banner has knowingly hurt any of us without reason." The silence that followed proved his point. "Even as the Hulk, he did not kill Natasha or even Loki. In fact, he saved my life. I think you owe the guy more respect than this." Stark put his glasses back in place. "Tell Bruce to meet me in the garage."

When Tony had gone, a pregnant silence hung in the air.

"I think the Man of Iron has made a point we must address," Thor said. "Even when the Hulk punched me during the battle, it was not without reason. No serious injury came of our fight in the air. Mayhap we judge our friend too harshly."

Barton nodded thoughtfully. "I didn't see any mindless destruction during the Chitauri attack. He even followed Steve's directions."

Natasha was silent. Her understanding and slight companionship with Banner did not extend to his green counterpart. Even though she had seen how well he exercised his control, the moment he lost his control overpowered that.

"Its better to be safe than sorry," Steve said firmly. Clint and Thor shared a disagreeing look but said nothing.

**OoOoO**

Bruce and Tony spent two hours shopping for 'Stark-approved' (as Tony kept repeating) clothing for the doctor. This included but was not limited to: suits (the most important, Tony said), shoes, a watch (Banner refused to get more than one when Tony forced the first one upon him), ties of various styles and colors, too-expensive jeans (if you asked the more reasonable of the two), many button-ups in many shades of purple (although Stark seemed to like yellow on Bruce as well), and two pairs of sunglasses.

Despite any protests Bruce managed to get out during the various tailorings, fittings, and measurements, Tony bought the most expensive of whatever he felt Bruce needed. After the torture, uhm, shopping, was finished, Stark insisted his companion needed a haircut as well. Knowing he wouldn't win by now, Bruce quietly complied. It was better than listening to Tony prattle off various reasons and forcing himself upon the doctor to get him to agree.

Bruce Banner returned to the lake house a very different man. Gone was the too-shaggy hair, worn slacks, scuffed loafers, and thinning shirt. Now, he sported a fine pair jeans, a purple button-up, a pair of very new dress shoes, glinting silver watch, and "adorably shaggy" hair.

He was also very convinced that he would never go on another "outing" with Tony Stark.

Tony, on the other hand (of another person) had thoroughly enjoyed himself. While Bruce had not listened to all of his - incredibly helpful - suggestions, it had gone well. The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist had taken a certain childish glee in dragging his friend to various stores and buying him things. Bruce had seen this in the way Tony's eyes were livelier and lighter; he hadn't fought the eccentric man too much after realizing this.

"Banner! You look much more like the Man of Iron now," Thor commented.

"Thor, call me Tony. I'm not always Iron Man," Tony chided lightly.

Barton, who was dressed in his customary uniform, snickered. "It's a damn good thing you never offered to take me shopping, Stark."

"Not all of us prefer black on black, outlined in black, Legolas."

"Pepper stopped by while you were out," Romanoff said casually. She tried to read his reaction on this. Being a woman and a spy, she had easily picked up on Miss Pott's unhappiness. "She dropped everything off and said she'd be back tomorrow to make the chore list and to take Thor and Steve shopping."

"She's a brave woman, that one."

**OoOoO**

A few hours later, Bruce rummaged in his closet to find some of his old clothes so he could work in the lab without ruining one of his ridiculously expensive, Tony-bought items. Every bit of clothing he'd had with him was gone. Even the socks. Bruce explored his floor further, to find the pair of slacks he wore yesterday still in the bathroom. That solved half of the problem.

Frustrated, he took the elevator to Tony's floor, finding the man in his office.

Looking at Bruce over his glasses, Tony greeted him. "Science bro!" He moved his feet onto the desk, lounging without a care. "What's up?"

"All of my clothes are gone. The ones I had before today, anyway."

"Good! Happy threw them out like I asked, then. What's the problem?"

Bruce sighed. "The problem is that I don't have any shirts to wear in the lab now."

Tony looked thoughtful for a moment, then held up a finger. "I'll be right back." When he returned, Stark tossed his friend a shirt.

He held the shirt up, eyeing skeptically. "Tony, this is your Black Sabbath shirt, the one from the 1978 tour. I can't take this."

"Its no big deal. I have a few Black Sabbath shirts; that's just the one I wear the most." He shrugged and went back to the papers he'd been studying.

"Thanks," Bruce said awkwardly. He wasn't sure how he felt about Tony giving him his favorite, iconic shirt. Returning to his own floor, he unbuttoned the purple shirt and shrugged on Tony's shirt. It was a bit snug, due to his chest being broader than Tony's, but it fit well. Bruce shrugged and went down to the lab. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal.

He didn't notice the looks Clint, Natasha, and Steve gave him when they noticed his change in attire.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Who doesn't expect them to be kinda messed up? Nightmares are reasonable and a popular theme in fanfiction. If you don't know anything about their back-stories, this won't make sense to you. So make a friend in Google.  
**2** As for the controversial feelings Thor has about Loki: if you have a sibling, you'll more than likely understand.  
**3** The Black Widow has so many names its ridiculous. Natalia Romanova is the original though, and I used it to get her humanity across a bit more. She's Russian. It's mentioned a few times.  
**4** I did just make up the position. Well, it's a read job, but Stark Industries may or may not have use for one. Tony thinks they do.  
**5** Defensive Tony is a great Tony. This lack of trust in Banner from the other members carries over from The Avengers.  
**6** Yes, Hulk had a reason for punching Thor after they took down the giant Leviathan together. It was payback from the fight in the Helicarrier. I'm aware that some people didn't catch this.  
**7** Tony called Clint "Legolas" in Avengers. Its a LotR reference; Legolas is a character skilled with the bow and arrow.  
**8** The Black Sabbath shirt. Iron Man is one of their most popular songs. (Great song; take a listen if you haven't already.) That's why its iconic for Tony; for BS fans, the shirt is from a very memorable tour.  
**9** I'm not quite sure about in other places, but in the US, a guy giving you a shirt is a pretty telling thing. It's like a maiden giving her beloved soldier a token. Just not as tragic. Anyway, sharing of clothing is a sign.  
**10** Thanks for all of your lovely feedback!


	5. Complications

Bruce sighed. "Tony, I can't work with you literally breathing down my neck."

"Am I distracting you, Bruce-y?" Tony chuckled, moving away from his friend and settling into one of the scattered chairs. He had been glued to Bruce all day, starting the moment the doctor stepped out of the elevator to get breakfast. It wasn't that he minded Tony's company - he enjoyed it, really. He was one of the few people Bruce knew how to act around. If the company wasn't Tony or in need of medical services, the doctor spent a lot of time wringing his hands and stumbling over words. Because of this, Banner was used to having so much space. Tony didn't care what he was used to, really.

"Let's do something." Bruce turned to look at his host. Tony was lounging in the chair, lazily checking his cell phone. He sighed dramatically when he saw that Bruce was staring.

"I'm trying to do something, Tony."

"Alright, let's do something _fun_."

"I thought you loved science. Things you love are fun."

"Don't get me wrong, I do. But I haven't seen you do anything but science since you got here!"

"It's only been a week," Bruce countered. "And we've all watched movies together a few times. Furthermore, it's sort of hard to forget the outing we went on."

"One of the best memories you have, of course."

"Of course," came the wry reply. Tony chuckled and continued his persuasion.

"So, what would it hurt to spend a few hours doing something with your glorious friend?"

Sighing again, Bruce set down his glasses. He knew he wouldn't win this round. "What did you have in mind?"

OoOoO

For Clint, his afternoon had been perfectly normal. He spent an hour or so in the underground gym with Natasha, sparring. Then he returned to his room, showered, and ambled back into the living room. Steve and Thor were attempting to work a BluRay player; thankfully, he helped them out before Thor became frustrated and forgot his strength. He heard them talking about New Mexico and "Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis" and listened discreetly as he watched a relatively new movie on Stark's overly large television. From what he gathered, Thor had asked Pepper to find Jane and Darcy. Thor's happy memories were very different from the destruction and rage Barton had seen in New Mexico. He didn't comment.

After a while, Thor requested (loudly) that Clint show him the gym. This led to a well-matched fight between the Captain and the god of thunder. Natasha made a few casual comments about her thoughts on the outcome on the spar. When he disagreed, they decided to bet on it.

He really had to stop betting against her.

Now, the four Avengers sat at the kitchen table, teaching Thor how to play a few card games. They had tried solitaire. It hadn't exactly worked out; Go Fish was the game of choice. There were still a few kinks to be worked out in Thor's playing.

"Thor, you only take one card," Steve explained, "and you don't have to slam-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Miss Potts is here and approaching the kitchen," JARVIS informed.

"She has returned?" Forgetting the card game, Thor stood quickly. He ignored the chair as it clattered to the floor behind him and he quickly made his way to the living room. Steve frowned a bit at the exit, but didn't call him back. After picking up the chair, they followed Thor into the living room.

"-found them," Clint heard Pepper say.

"Glorious! When shall I see her?" Thor's voice boomed even louder than normal. If that was possible.

"Actually, Mr. Selvig and Jane aren't available right now. They're doing some work for S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. Darcy said they were scheduled to return to New Mexico in a week."

"A week? This is acceptable." Thor looked like a thoroughly satisfied cat with this new information.

Clint took in Ms. Potts's appearance. She was in a tight, green dress with the appropriate accessories and killer heels (he knew killer heels when he saw them; Natasha owned a few pair, although _her _killer heels were probably used for killing...). A slight frown marred her carefully made-up face. "Where's Tony?"

"He and Banner left a few hours ago. I tried to tell him it wasn't productive for the team, pairing off like that. He only ignored me." Steve's voice had a few notes of irritation. Hawkeye was grateful he didn't continue his rant from earlier. He may be the World's Greatest Marksman, but he certainly hadn't won any titles for patience. One monolog about how horrible Tony Stark was at teamwork per day was more than enough.

Pepper's lips turned down and her eyes tightened. Before she could say anything, the door swung open. Loud laughter could be heard before the geniuses were even visible. When she realized Tony had returned, her face pulled into something between a grateful smile and a disapproving frown. Clint took all of this in, wondering what was going on. It wasn't exactly a secret that she didn't trust Banner. However, he had thought she at least liked the man. Judging by the way she was staring at her boyfriend and his fellow scientist, he admits he was probably wrong.

Women were so damn complicated.

OoOoO

Bruce stopped laughing immediately after he saw Pepper standing in the living room. Tony, however, didn't seem to notice.

"Man, Bruce, and when we were just about to leave and-" He cut himself off, noticing Pepper. He looked her up and down slowly. "Well, Peps, that's a bit overdressed for a visit, but-"

"A visit?" Her voice was borderline screeching, or maybe edging towards a dark threat. Bruce thought either one would be terrifying, coming from her. "Tony, this isn't a visit! Do you even know what day it is?"

Tony's eyes flickered down to his watch, and he swore. "I swear to God, Pepper, I did not mean to lose track of time. Bruce and I went out," Bruce winced at the look she gave him when Tony said this, "and I completely forgot everything. Give me five minutes and I'll be ready." Stark gave her a quick kiss and rushed off.

"Did he forget something of importance, Miss Pepper?"

She sighed at Thor's question. "We have reservations at the nicest restaurant in Rochester. Today's out six month anniversary."

Banner winced. Tony had very nearly stood up his girlfriend (on such an important night, too) because he was out with Bruce. That certainly wouldn't have gone over well.

"It's not very responsible to forget such a night..." Steve frowned in the direction Tony had disappeared, as if his disapproval could radiate through the walls. It probably could.

She smiled at the man, probably wishing Tony has his chivalry. Bruce nearly laughed at the thought. Tony Stark may open doors for his long-term (by Stark's standards) girlfriend, but he would never be a chivalrous, responsible man. "Thank you, Mr. Rogers, but Tony's not exactly one for responsibility."

"You say that like I hadn't noticed."

A minute or so later, Tony strutted his way out of the elevator, dressed to the nines. He wrapped an arm around Pepper's waist and grinned. "Ready?" Without waiting for her to answer, he bid the team his goodbyes and waltzed her out the door. Literally. The sight left Clint and Thor laughing; Bruce smiled and shook his head.

On a suggestion Steve made, the members of the team left at the Tower came together to make dinner. Or try to.

Being the natural leader he was, Steve gave out the tasks based on the person's skills. That left Clint and Thor putting together a salad, Natasha making mashed potatoes, and Bruce and Steve collaborating on a baked chicken dish. Bruce thought the dinner turned out pretty well. No one was burned, cut, or maimed. Thor over did it with a few tomatoes before he understood what Clint meant when the archer said "diced". Steve was unsure of the exact measurements of the dish (which he insisted they make, because it was his favorite that his mother made), so JARVIS kindly pulled up a recipe. After the initial chaos settled down, the team worked well enough together. Dinner, slightly overcooked, was decent. Steve and Thor provided constant conversation, with Clint throwing in a barb or Natasha commenting every few minutes. Banner had a hard time allowing himself to participate in the idle chatter that flitted around the table. He was too lost in his own thoughts; the others weren't inclined to pull him away from his silence.

Tony, he thought, should not have been so careless today. Pepper wasn't overly fond of Bruce (she was polite, but he knew how to recognize the signs of wariness by now). Her boyfriend nearly missing their reservations because he was out with Bruce didn't exactly make her inclined to change her opinion. The woman had looked very near furious when the two of them had returned, merry and without worry. Pepper Potts was not someone Bruce wanted to make an enemy. With the way things were going, he wasn't so sure that outcome was far off. He feared how his other, budding acquaintanceships would suffer from that.

Immediately after dinner, Bruce bid the others goodnight and headed to his room.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Pft. Tony Stark? Caring about someone else's personal space? No.  
**2** "Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis" is a clear nod at Thor. If you, for some reason, haven't seen it, it is highly suggested. I love Kat Dennings. Really.  
**3** Yes, Hawkeye was there in New Mexico. Coulson nearly had him put an arrow through Thor's lovely eye.  
**4** Go Fish - the child's card game that maybe even Thor can play.  
**5** I love all the attention this story is getting. It makes me feel pretty awesome. Thank you to those who review, and continue to review. I reply to any that I deem need it. If you have any questions and such that don't give anything away, feel free to PM me. According to the number of people who get alerts for this story, there are nearly three times as many of you as there are reviews. C'mon people, most of us are authors. You understand. Tell me what you think. :]  
**6** After this chapter, things get interesting. Be warned.


	6. Killer

If anyone knew how to make a date perfect, it was Tony Stark. He never skipped on the details; everything was catered to match his date's wants to a T. Reservations were made early, at a great place, and on a lovely night. Tony was charismatic, attentive (usually), funny, intelligent, and forever the charmer.

Pepper Potts knew all of this. In fact, she knew much more than this. When Tony was upset, he threw himself into his work and then a bottle. If he was nervous - instead of constantly fidgeting - he kept perfectly still. Tony showed his emotions in his actions much better than his words. Sometimes he was materialistic, selfish, rude, crude, and downright spiteful. These characteristics were a part of him, as much as his habits.

If Pepper knew anything better than Tony's personality, it was his habits.

Like right now, as he sit completely at ease and rambled on about his day with Bruce Banner, Pepper knew. Her heart ached a bit at this realization - months in the making.

At the beginning of the night, Tony had complimented her appearance multiple times. They even held a steady conversation through ordering their food and the appetizers. After that, though, the talking lulled and her boss/boyfriend launched into his favorite subject: Bruce Banner. He spoke of employing Banner at Stark Industries as a Science Consultant, bouncing ideas off one another, and their separate research. A lengthy tale was spun of their day out and how much Tony actually enjoyed himself. He spared no details and spoke with a nearly childish glee.

"And he's still convinced I made up the Science Consultant position, by the way. He told me over lunch that he didn't want a fake job," Tony prattled on.

When he spoke, his face was happy and open. She couldn't recall a time he'd been like this, nearly glowing with such happiness. Were it not for her thoughts, his happiness would be completely infectious. Pepper's heart felt as though someone were gripping it each time he smiled or laughed. She was not unhappy with this, just...

_It isn't fair_, she thought.

From this one date, the woman could tell Tony's love for her was different. She'd always had concerns that his love was misplaced. Usually, she convinced herself that her worries were getting the better of her about the topic. Now, though, Pepper could see how right she had been all along.

Of course Tony loved her, and was attracted to her. That was never in question. The question was whether Tony was in love with her or not. Watching him now, she knew he wasn't. It hurt, badly, to realize this. But it would be better for them in the long run to come to an agreement about this. So she sat through the dinner, the desert, and the ride home trying to enjoy these last moments. It was for the better, she reminded herself as Tony helped her out of the car and walked her into his house.

No one was in the living room. It was much too late for them to be awake. Before Tony could call the elevator, she stopped him.

"Tony, let's sit for a minute." Her tone was much too grim.

He looked startled, then went rather still. "Of course, Peps."

They sat in awkward silence for a while, until Pepper took a deep breath to steady her reserve. It was shaky at best. "Tony, this has to end." She saw him stop breathing, his grinning face finally slipping into a terrified expression. Before he could speak, she plummeted on. The words, stumbling and not at all right, tumbled out of her mouth before she could think about them too much. "Its not because of you, or anything or you did! And I still love you. Its not me, its you, actually. That sounds so terrible... But you can't help it, and I doubt you even _know_..." She stopped, and stared at her delicately shaking hands. This wasn't working at all; she wasn't even making sense. Unfortunately, there was no way to say this without hurting him.

"What are you talking about? We just reached _six months_, Pepper. That's the longest relationship I've ever had, by far! What... Why?" His words were shaking more than her hands. He was honest and sincere and _hurting_; she saw it all.

"Tony, we aren't right for each other..."

"How the hell do you know? Is there someone else?"

"No! Tony, I'd never..." She was too angry at that accusation to form a complete sentence.

"Then why are you," he grimaced, seemingly unable to finish it but continuing anyway, "breaking up with me?"

"I'm not the one you love, Tony." She shook her head, trying not to cry. Former CEOs of Stark Industries do not cry, she told herself. "I love you, Tony, but this won't work if you aren't in love with me."

His face had morphed into even, cold lines. She recognized this. Now, Tony would be mean. It wasn't because he meant whatever he would say; he was protecting himself from any further pain. She had seen him use this tactic many times. "If I'm not in love with you, Pepper, I see no reason you should be here. I'll have Happy take you home to whatever tool you found!" His voice was loud; he was yelling. The anger was gone from his face though, replaced by a cool indifference. Had it not been for his tone, most people would have thought he didn't care at all. But Pepper knew.

Just because she knew Tony didn't mean these things doesn't mean his words were painless. Tears fell down her face in rapid succession as he stormed from the room. Had elevator doors been able to slam, they would have. She hadn't deserved his words, but she expected them. As she tried to pull herself together, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff rushed into the room. The latter was completely alert and calm. The former looked a bit shaken, as if he just woke up. Given the time, Pepper assumed this was the case.

Natasha took one look at the sobbing Pepper, gave Steve a polite nod, and returned to wherever she came from.

"Ms. Potts? Are you alright? Natasha and I heard Tony yelling." Steve's voice was calm, soothing, as he moved to kneel in front of the woman. Anger was written on his all-American features.

"I'm...I'm fine. We just, I broke up with him. Its complicated. He wasn't mad at me, really, he's just hurt. I know Tony." Even with these words, meant to be reassuring to herself as well as the man, she continued to cry.

"Wait right here, I'll go speak with him."

Before he could stride away with the determined face he wore, Pepper gripped his arm. "No, please. That would only make it worse. Tony wouldn't take well to you advising him on how he should do anything, especially not something this personal."

Steve frowned. "Do you know why he hates me so much?"

Pepper laughed, though it was a bit watery. "Tony doesn't hate you, Captain. He grew up listening to stories about you and how amazing you are, from his father. From what I gather, Howard Stark was not a great father to Tony. He always talked about how you were perfect, his greatest achievement. Tony never ranked on his achievement list, apparently. Now, he's rather...jealous. Tony does not handle jealousy or hurt well, as you can tell."

The man before her looked genuinely confused. "He's...jealous of me? But Tony Stark is the man who has everything."

Sadly, she shook her head. "Not everything, Captain. Tony's been deprived of a lot."

"Howard was a good man..."

"Yes," she interrupted, "but being a good man does not make him a good father. And that's what Tony needed."

A soft silence fell over the two. Pepper had stopped crying, but her heartache remained. She absently wondered how long it would last. Stark would no doubt be mad at her for a day or two, then realize he was hurt. Then he would avoid her. When she finally cornered him, they would talk and she would hopefully explain herself better. She wasn't exactly looking forward to it. Sighing, Pepper wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. Crying any more would only make this worse. Steve stood and held out a hand to help her up. With a tired smile, she accepted it.

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers."

Steve released her hand and stepped back. "No problem, ma'am. A distressed woman usually just needs someone to listen. Would you like me to walk you to the garage?"

"That would be fine." Her smile was a bit less tired as they walked side by side to meet Happy.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** This chapter was ridiculously hard to write. It would not have been put up nearly this early if it hadn't been for my awesome Beta (and I apologize for failing to mention earlier!), _MrsDedecution_. Great thanks for her help.  
**2 **Again, this deals with Tony's background. Familiarize yourself with it if you have yet to.  
**3** I wrote this listening to lots of _Killer_ by The Ready Set. Glorious song. I recommend it.  
**4 **If you appreciate the work, drop me a review. ^-~  
**5** Now, Monday, I will be leaving for a week long writing camp. I have no clue about WiFi, but assume they have it. If you see a new chapter Monday night, my roommates aren't murderers and there is Internet access. If not, well...


	7. Challenge Accepted

Due to his (blissfully) sound-proof walls, Dr. Banner was not awakened by the yelling downstairs. Instead, he was awoken by an angry, pacing Tony Stark at the foot of his bed.

The presence of another person startling his from his dreams, Bruce shot into a sitting position. Tony didn't even pause in his pace angrily, pivot, and repeat pattern. In one hand, he held a bottle of surely strong liquor. The other occasionally ran through his hair as he wore a hole in the fine flooring.

"Tony?" Bruce's voice was hoarse from sleep. He ran his sandpaper tongue along his lips. "What are you doing?" Confusion kicked his brain into gear. Tony hardly ever came into his room, and certainly not in the middle of the night while Banner slept. Something had to be going on; Bruce just wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"I'm pacing, Dr. Banner." Another sharp pivot and a few strides accompanied these mocking words. For some reason, it didn't seem as though the mocking tone he used was directed at Bruce.

Looking at the alarm clock, the doctor replied, rather dryly, "In my room, at two in the morning?"

"As you can see, that is exactly what I'm doing."

"Why are you pacing in my room at two in the morning with a bottle of your favorite poison?" He couldn't read the label in the dark, but it was most likely some of his friend's overly-expensive (like everything else Tony Stark owned) alcohol from his extensive collection.

Tony froze, teetering a bit from stopping so suddenly. Bruce could make out the glint of his eyes and his outline in the near-darkness. He wished he could see the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist's face. That would give him a bit more warning of what he was currently dealing with. "I didn't want to be alone." His voice was self-deprecating and sounded nearly broken. Stark took a long swig from the bottle. "And I didn't mean to wake you up. You can go back to sleep, Bruce-y Boy." Tony moved to leave, swaying a bit.

Almost scrambling out of bed, Bruce grabbed Tony's arm to stop him. He knew his friend had dangerous habits; letting Tony drink alone when he was clearly upset about something would not end well. "Get a few glasses and I'll join you, alright?"

Bruce never drank. Tony grinned at him, then looked down. "Trying to seduce me, Dr. Banner?"

Noticing the state he was in - wearing Tony's shirt and a pair of boxers - Bruce flushed. "No, I just..."

Tony laughed. "I'm just joking."

"I'm gonna grab a pair of pants; you get the glasses..."

"Got it, babe."

Bruce rolled his eyes, trying to find his pants.

OoOoO

The two sat next to each other in silence for the moment. Tony had lost count of how much he'd drank, but Bruce was only four shots in. He refused to drink any more. In fact, four shots was about all he drank in a year. The half full bottle rested in front of them on the low coffee table in Bruce's room. Their shot glasses were beside that.

"Pepper broke up with me, earlier. That's why I was pacing in your room at two in the morning with this bottle in my hand."

To say he was taken aback would be an understatement. Bruce was very near floored with the news. "W-What?"

"I know, right?" Tony took another shot, pouring Dr. Banner one. It was ignored. "She said that I didn't love her."

"Where did she get that idea?"

"I have no clue." Silence hung heavy. "I got pretty mad, said some things I don't currently recall but will definitely regret. She was crying." He paused. "She said we weren't right for each other. What do you think?"

Banner could feel the weight of that question. He wanted to comfort Tony, but he didn't want to offend him. There was also his need to be honest with his friend. "You and Pepper were good together; I don't know too much about your relationship. But..." Just as quickly as Tony had, Bruce took the previously offered shot. "I don't think being together made either of you grow as people. You're still the same Stark I knew four months ago. You haven't changed."

"Did you want me to change?" Tony's question was somewhere between offense and teasing.

"Not at all. Unless you count wishing you had a sense of self-preservation.," he said with a rueful grin.

"Who needs self-preservation when I have the Hulk around to save me?"

OoOoO

"Bruce, don't tell me we got so smashed we slept together. I mean, its not like I haven't bought you dinner or that I find sleeping with you repulsive..." Leaning over Bruce, and talking in his ear, Stark was awfully loud to someone with a hangover. Tony stopped talking when he was pushed off the other man.

"Tony, I don't know what you just said, or what I drank last night, but I'm really in need of a glass of water."

Magically, or so it seemed to the hung-over Bruce, Tony reached to his other side and produced a glass of water. Banner gulped half of it down and sat it on the nightstand beside him. "Why are you in my bed?" His throat felt infinitely better, but it hadn't helped his intense headache or nausea.

Slightly panicked, Tony countered, "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

"You gave this to me to wear in the lab. I didn't bother taking it off before I went to bed after working last night. I think. I'm not entirely sure right now. Give me some coffee, an hour, and maybe some Fritos."

"What the hell do you want Fritos for?" Tony was skeptical, wondering how the doctor could brush all this off. Never before had Tony Stark woken up, hung-over, in someone else's bed without having done more than a few sinful things the night before.

"I used to eat them all the time after I woke up hung-over. They calmed my stomach."

"I thought you didn't drink."

Bruce clutched his head. "So did I, Stark. But I used to."

An hour, four small bags of Fritos, and innumerable cups of coffee later, the two geniuses sat in the same spot as last night. "Now," said Bruce, "I remember you waking me up with your pacing and then hearing about Pepper..." He trailed off, not wanting to touch that subject right now. "While I'm not sure how many, we took shots while we talked." Banner frowned, trying to remember how Tony ended up in his bed.

"Yeah, I remember all that... Didn't I try to help you into bed, or you help me to my room, or something..." Tony was also frowning in concentration, his knee bouncing up and down in frustration. It bumped into Bruce's regularly.

"Right! You said you were going to go to your room, but you were stumbling. So I tried to help you, and I guess it didn't work and we ended up there." He gestured to his bed. "What were we drinking last night?"

Tony looked around for the bottle, finding it on the floor under the coffee table. The cap seemed to be long gone. He picked it up, suddenly realizing why Bruce's hangover had been so bad and his had been a bit worse than normal. "Well, big guy, we polished off a bottle of Absolut Rio."

"I can't believe I drank vodka last night."

"I can't believe I slept with you last night."

Bruce flushed. "Stop saying it like that. Nothing happened."

Noticing his friend's reaction, Tony chuckled. "Like anyone could lay in a bed with this glorious body and resist it."

"Clearly, I can."

"Was that a challenge, Dr. Banner?"

"No! No, it certainly was _not_. That was in no way, shape, or form any type of challenge, Stark."

"I think it was." A devilish smirk lit up Tony's face; Pepper was not dominating his thoughts right now. He was preoccupied with teasing the hell out of Banner right now. It seemed to be going pretty well, but his flustered appearance.

"Tony, I'm not gay."

"Whoa, who said you were gay? Guilty conscience, Bruce-y? Is there something I should know?" Stark bit back a laugh.

He was answered with a low growl as Bruce covered his face. Releasing his laughter, Tony removed Bruce's hands from his face.

"C'mon, Banner, I was just messing with you. You don't have to be gay to be attracted to me. Can't say I blame you anyways." He winked, causing Bruce to snatch his hands from the other man's grip and cover his face once more. Tony chuckled. "I won't tell the others how much you love my devilish good looks."

"I already told you, I resisted. Because I am not in love with your _devilish good looks_."

"Right in the ego, Bruce. This challenge has now, really been accepted."

"There is no challenge!"

"There certainly is if you aren't attracted to me!"

"That doesn't even make sense!" Bruce stalked to the elevator, going in search of sane company.

"Aw, you don't have to leave, Bruce-y. Just admit I'm sexy!"

"Shouldn't you be moping or something?"

"Hey, she dumped me. Her loss, babe. " He paused, but when Tony spoke again, Bruce could _hear _the smirk. "Your gain?"

Bruce closed the elevators doors. He was shaking with repressed laughter by the time he entered the kitchen. Only Tony Stark could reduce the sophisticated doctor, as well as the destructive Hulk, side of Bruce Banner to a fit of laughter after waking up with a hangover.

OoOoO

Tony did not let up with his joking for the next three days, in which Pepper was very absent. Each night, Bruce was awakened at a random time to a pacing Tony Stark. He refused to drink with the man after the first night. However, he was still periodically robbed of half of his bed space. After each talk (and once, a rant with a few tears, not that Bruce would ever remind Tony of that), the heartbroken man was too intoxicated to return to his own room. And each morning, said heartbroken man woke his friend up with a new "challenge tactic." A lot could be said about Tony Stark and his wealth, charm, and wit; people should really speak of his creativity more often.

On the first of these three days, Bruce was (in his description of the event) mauled awake. Tony said he was trying to give the doctor a shoulder rub, and that it was "_not _similar to being massaged with Thor's hammer, _thank-you-very-much_."

The second morning, Tony woke him up singing some ridiculously sexy country song, shutting the curtains, and turning "the lights down low" (after thrusting open the black-out curtains to wake the doctor up in the first place). Bruce wasn't even aware Tony knew any country music, and didn't particularly care to be woken up to the little he did know. This was his least favorite - and, ironically, Tony's favorite - of past three mornings.

He had to hand it to Tony. The previous mornings had taken some creativity, but the third morning topped both of them. Bruce woke up alone, in his dark room. When he turned on the lights (via a polite request to JARVIS), all he could do was laugh. The ceiling was obscured by balloons with various romantic messages, all in shades of pink, red, and white. Red rose petals covered not only the floor, but the bed, coffee table, entertainment center, couch, and Dr. Banner himself. To complete the decor, a huge collage of pictures of Tony hung where his curtains normally hid the windows. Pictures of Tony in suits, at home, as Iron Man, working, grinning, looking serious, and laughing made up the collage. A few provocative ones were included, of course. Banner spent a good ten minutes laughing at his room. When he pulled himself together, he hurried downstairs to find his friend.

The door was opening just as he exited the elevator and made his way to the living room. Instead of seeing Tony walking in the door with a ridiculous smile, Bruce almost collided with one Pepper Potts.

Nearly stumbling back, Bruce stared wide-eyed at the woman. She looked back with equal shock. _Well, this is awkward,_ he thought. After a moment, her shock became even more apparent and her jaw went slack. Instead of having the awkward stare-down, Pepper was gazing lower, at his shirt. Then she gaped at his entire appearance. Confused, Bruce took stock of himself.

He was wearing Tony's Black Sabbath shirt. There were rose petals clinging to his clothes. And he was _pretty damn sure_, as Tony would say, that the state of his hair could be mistaken for more than bedhead.

The foolish grin he'd kept on the way down here was no where in sight. Pepper's optimism for the day was pretty much gone as well.

Without a word, she turned around and fled from the house.

Bruce stared after her, the door still open. It could have been an hour later when Steve walked into the room, gave him an odd look, and shut it. "Are you alright, Banner?"

"Have you seen Tony?"

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Sound-proof walls are mentioned in the chapter where the rooms are described. I promise. Not lying.  
**2** Also, of course Tony could get into Bruce's room. He set the password.  
**3** Okay, when Tony wakes Bruce up with his monologue, I about died laughing. Simply because I can see him doing that. I had to add this.  
**4** The Fritos was inspired by a member of my family. New Years Eve parties at my house now include Fritos.  
**5** Absolut is a very strong alcohol. I have witnesses to this. Rio was just a limited (I think) edition of it.  
**6** The comment about Thor's hammer and the massage inspired me to write a one-shot in my collection of Thor one-shots. Feel free to read it.  
**7** If you know country music, laugh at Tony's wake-up call. If you don't, find Josh Turner's _Your Man_, listen to it, and proceed to laugh hysterically.  
**8** *No relevance to the story.* So, clearly, I'm not dead and they have WiFi!


	8. Quality Time

"Bruce-y!" Tony launched himself at the doctor, grinning like and idiot and gripping his shoulders. He took in Banner's appearance, including the rose petals. "You got my gift!"

Steve had directed Bruce to Tony's office, without asking questions. "If by gift, you mean room showered in rose petals, ceiling painted with balloons, and a breathtaking collage of _you_, then yes. I did get your gift."

Tony laughed, pulling Bruce into a hug. Banner was slightly surprised, but patted Stark on the back nonetheless. When he pulled back, Tony said, "I'm completely sure you loved it. Judging by your excellent imagery, you spent a while admiring it, too."

"Oh, yes. That's the perfect way to wake someone up." His voice was tinted with sarcasm, but it didn't affect Stark at all.

"I certainly thought so. So, are you ready to admit your attraction to me yet? I'm sure this wooing won't have to continue much longer. Wake up calls don't get better than balloons, rose petals, and me."

"Well, I guess you aren't creative enough. You're still not attractive to me, Stark."

He groaned dramatically and dropped his forehead onto Bruce's shoulder. "What do I have to do? Build you an empire?"

"You built me a Hulk-proof floor to live in. I think that's a good equivalent."

"Buy you dinner?"

"You've done that."

"Get highlights?"

"Do you really think changing your hair will make me fall in love with your looks?"

"Bear your children?"

"While I don't doubt that you have that sort of money, no. God no."

"Write you a sonnet?"

"Do you even know the qualifications of a sonnet?

"You are _impossible_."

"Nothing is impossible."

"You are _improbable_."

"While I do enjoy our banter, Tony, I did have a reason for coming here."

Tony straightened, giving him a wicked grin and quirking an eyebrow. "Desk sex?"

Dr. Banner flushed, the began stumbling over his words. "I... No, that's not... I mean... Dammit, Tony."

Stark was too busy laughing to answer.

"Anyway," Bruce said, clearing his throat, "when I went looking for you after I woke up, I ran into Pepper." Tony froze at this, his laughter dying quickly. His mouth was set in a firm line. "I looked exactly like this. I think she...assumed something else." Banner began wringing his hands, his shoulders hunching as he tried to hide himself. "She ran out the door pretty quickly. I didn't mean to give her the wrong idea, and I'm really sorry, Tony-"

"No," he cut him off, "it isn't your fault. I'm the one that gave you that shirt, and covered you in rose petals. No matter what Pepper may have thought, we know what happened. If she approaches the topic the next time one of us see her, we can explain. If she doesn't believe it, I'll deal with it."

Bruce sighed, straightening and running a hand through his hair. A few red petals floated to the ground. He couldn't help a small, fleeting smile. "Its just that...she already didn't seem to really like me, and now..."

A look of frustration crossed Tony's features. "I don't give a damn what she thinks or who she likes, and you shouldn't either. I trust you. You put up with me, and even seem to _like _me. Most people can't handle me." He realized how close this was getting to being a serious and emotional conversation, so he added, "I think its the devilish good looks. They can be intimidating. You're just so hard to impress it doesn't even matter."

"Maybe you just aren't impressive, Stark."

"Why are you so _wounding_, Dr. Banner?"

**OoOoO**

Around noon, Thor was called into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to speak about Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. Fury had caught news of the potential visit. Steve volunteered to go so that nothing drastic would happen. Natasha then decided to accompany them, mostly because she didn't want them to cause trouble and partially because she needed to hand in the report from her last assignment. An hour or so after that, Tony forced himself to go to one of his many board meetings. This left Clint and Bruce by themselves.

Dr. Banner was in the lab, working on some logarithms Tony asked him to look over, when Hawkeye found him. The archer studied him for a moment before making his presence known. Bruce looked up at him, over the frames of his glasses. He waved him inside.

"Did you need something, Clint?"

"Nah. I'm just incredibly bored wondering around this place."

"Have you tried the archery range?"

"Of course. It's pretty great. Stark spares no cost when he wants something built. It had moving targets and all."

Bruce chuckled. "That sounds exactly like Tony."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Clint asked what Bruce was working on. He explained, commenting that they were near perfect anyway. "I don't know why Tony had me look over these. I've only found two mistakes that he could have spotted in a glance."

"Sometimes it's better to have a second set of eyes look over something. A lot of things are hard to miss for some people, because they see it how they know it should be."

When he thought about it, Bruce realized that Clint really did have a point. "I see what you mean. That's a useful lesson to learn."

"Especially in my line of work," Barton joked.

Dr. Banner grinned. "I can only imagine."

Just as Clint was going to reply, the cell phone Stark had forced on Bruce began to ring. Black Sabbath's Iron Man filled the room. That would be Tony. Sighing, the doctor made a gesture for Barton to pause and he fumbled to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Bruce," Tony practically purred.

"Did you need something, Stark?" This was said to Stark with much more sarcasm and less polite curiosity than it had been to Clint. Something about the way Bruce said this to Tony seemed more...intimate. Or, as if they were closer. (Which they were, Clint knew.) It was startling when you heard the difference.

"No. I'm bored out of my skull talking to these dreary people. So I called you."

"In the middle of a board meeting?"

"Why do you say that like it's a big deal?"

"Because board meetings are pretty important."

"Nah. I usually sleep through them anyway."

Bruce sighed. "Tony, you really need to start thinking about taking more responsibility."

"You sound like-" Stark cut himself off. An awkward silence filled the line for a few moments.

"Hey, Tony?" Bruce was improvising. He knew it. What were you supposed to say to someone after they accidentally brought up their recent heartbreaker? He tried to think of something that would make Tony happy. Unfortunately, not many things made Tony truly happy. Science, Iron Man, old rock music, spending money, hanging out with Bruce...

"Hmm?" he hummed in response.

"Uh, Clint was telling me," Bruce lied, ignoring the confused look said archer shot him, "about this really great Italian place in town. It's quaint, but he swears by it." Oh, he was lying to Tony. He'd seen the small restaurant on the way to the lake house from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Bruce Banner is lying to Tony Stark to make him feel better. This wouldn't go well. The Italian place would suck, and Tony would find out Bruce had lied... Why did he have to lie? "So I was wondering if you wanted to check it out tonight."

"Sure, Bruce-y. I'll finish up here, head back, we'll go over those logarithms, and we can see just how good Birdbrain's tastes are."

Banner let out a silent sigh of relief. He could _hear _the smile in Tony's voice. "Maybe you'll be so full when we get back, you'll sleep in your own bed."

"Your's is closer, big guy. Besides, you know how much I love waking you up with a surprise."

He laughed. "Don't remind me."

They said their farewells and Bruce turned back to Barton. "Sorry about that. You were saying?"

Clint gave the doctor a very level stare. He seemed to be contemplating his next words. "Is there something going on with you and Stark?"

Bruce felt as if his face flushed and lost all of its color at once. "What? No! Why in the world would you think that?"

"Well, not only did you just ask him to go to dinner (on a false recommendation of mine, might I add), you also just admitted he hadn't been sleeping in his own bed. Steve did mention seeing you in Tony's shirt - which you're wearing right now - with rather rumpled hair, covered in rose petals, searching for Stark. So, this looks kind of weird."

"No, no. Tony gave me this shirt so I could wear it in the lab. He didn't think about lab work when we went out on our shopping trip. And, after we had been drinking, he passed out in my room. He's done this a few times now. About the rose petals, I made a comment and Tony took it upon himself to "seduce me into loving his devilish good looks" as a joke."

With a disbelieving gaze, Clint asked, "As a joke?"

"Yes."

"Do you even know how insane that sounds?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"If it were anyone but Tony Stark, I wouldn't believe it." Hell, he nearly didn't believe it now. Bruce and Tony were _awfully _close... No, he should just believe Bruce and not take the situation based on what it seems.

Besides, from what he had heard, Stark was too much of a lady-killer to be gay.

**OoOoO**

Tony Stark hummed to himself, wishing his jet moved just a tad bit faster. He kept checking his phone. Even though he knew there wouldn't be anything. Banner hardly ever used his Stark cell phone, so there's no reason he would randomly be texting Tony. Not that Tony would mind. Bruce was easily the most interesting thing in his life right now. Tony sighed again. This plane ride seemed much less entertaining than it usually did. Whatever movie was playing, he'd seen a million times. Or maybe twice. Same difference. The skies held nothing he hadn't seen; he'd tried all the drinks and didn't want to consume too much right now anyway. Once he got back to the airport, and then the lake house, he had plans with Bruce. That he happened to be fairly excited about. After he went over those should-be perfect equations with Banner, they were going to some miniscule, home-grown place in some no-name town.

Simply because Bruce wanted to.

And he thought it would be entertaining. They hadn't been out yet this week, which was fairly odd for them. He was looking forward to trying the Italian place Clint swore by. Not that he really trusted Clint's taste buds. But Bruce thought it sounded nice. And he certainly trusted Bruce.

Stark let out a ridiculously dramatic sigh. Why own a private jet if it still takes too long to get across the damn state?

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Flustered Bruce is a lovable Bruce.  
**2** Pepper's mind was in dirty places... Like mine.  
**3** Someone recently requested (and I already planned on it, so this chapter was pretty great for it) a Clint/Bruce scene. So here it is. I was slightly unsure of how to go about it, seeing as how the two never truly interacted in the movie. Hope you adore it.  
**4** Barton's suspicious. Rightfully so?


	9. Charity and Charm

Finally, _finally_, the Stark jet landed.

Tony nearly fled from the jet, a satisfied smirk on his face. He ignored everything around him and was speeding off in one of his cars (he didn't even check which one) within seconds of his feet hitting the pavement.

He had things to do.

**OoOoO**

Bruce was sitting at the kitchen table, chatting idly with Clint again when Tony burst into the room. "Hello Tony." He gave his friend a gentle smile.

Stark grinned at him in return. "Bruce-y Boy! You have no idea how much I missed you. Board meetings are so ridiculously _boring_, believe it or not." He sat down in the chair next to Bruce dramatically. "But you refused to keep me company over the phone." Tony turned to his friend with pouted lips.

Smirking, Bruce patted his shoulder with faux sympathy. "You poor thing."

"Come on, Banner! Even the pouting face didn't make you melt. What the hell do I have to do?"

"I told you already Tony, I am not attracted to you."

With a devilish smirk (probably to match his _devilish good looks_), Tony leaned very close to Banner and said, "Are you sure about that, Dr. Banner?"

The doctor flushed, leaning away. "_Absolut_ely, Stark." Clint wasn't quite sure why Tony seemed to find this hilarious. Actually, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know.

"Oh, Bruce, that was clever."

And the quips continued from there. Barton watched the pair, completely immersed in each other. They seemed to be subtly(well, Tony wasn't exactly being subtle - but then again, he never was) flirting. Hawkeye eyed them carefully; Stark leaned in again and whispered something to the shell of Banner's ear. He still wasn't quite sure if Tony was seriously interested in Bruce or if he was just being Tony. Dr. Banner chuckled, and Tony's face lit up brighter than the sterile white lights of his lab. _Never mind,_ Hawkeye thought. The billionaire definitely seemed interested - but he played everything off as a friendly joke. Bruce, on the other hand, looked decidedly comfortable with everything going on between the two. He didn't flinch under Tony's arm slung across his shoulders and merely rolled his eyes about the innuendo about them sleeping together every night. Banner was very comfortable. That didn't really mean anything though. While the doctor was awkward and clumsy around the others, he was much closer to Tony. That _could _be the reasoning behind his ease. But the way Tony's eyes lit up, how his grin was more than a bit bigger, when his hands didn't wander but didn't leave... It looked like a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark was in love with intelligent, socially-awkward, witty, Doctor Bruce Banner.

Bruce was an exceptionally smart man. Clint bet it wasn't long before Banner realized how Stark felt (hell, he'd probably realize it before Stark).

_That _was one bet Clint Barton would definitely make against Natasha.

**OoOoO**

It only took the scientists a total of four minutes to go over the logarithms again. Bruce asked if Clint would like to come along, much to Tony's displeasure. Seeing this, Barton smirked and considered it. In the end, he decided he'd rather stay behind and wait for the other members to return - despite him "swearing by it." (_Do straight guys use this phrase? ...was that too judgmental?_)

The car ride into town was easy and didn't seem to last very long. It may have been because they took the Audi that Tony was so fond of. It may have been because Bruce and Tony kept up a very steady stream of chatter, about anything and everything. Either way, the short car ride was enjoyable. Stark didn't keep his bass-heavy music on blowing-out-your-eardrums and Banner didn't awkwardly fidget whenever he was spoken to. It was a sight to behold.

When they arrived at the restaurant (which was likely the smallest place Tony had ever seen, let alone eaten at), Stark hopped out his car and made his way around. Like a true gentleman, he opened the door for Banner. Bruce, who had finally gotten his damn seat belt to cooperate, looked stricken. He didn't question it though; Tony Stark was a man of many mysteries. So he climbed out of the car and followed his friend inside.

The restaurant was exceptionally small and old. Vibrant green vines grew all along the stone walls, filling the cracks and twisting around the chipped sign that read _The Olive Branch _in rather intricate patterns. Small, dark windows dotted the front; they didn't seem to provide much light. The inside was in fact dimly lit, in an intimate fashion, with hanging lamps and the occasional candle. Wine red and cream seemed to be the color scheme, with the floors a deep cherry wood and the walls a soft cream. Table cloths, napkins, and the uniforms of the employees matched this as well. The restaurant had a very homey feel and it smelled heavily of herbs. It was a fairly nice place, in Bruce's opinion. Tony wasn't really impressed - which wasn't surprising. He eyed the people in the small restaurant. A few people bustled around, waiters mostly. Customers were scattered here and there, generally in pairs, but the place was relatively empty. Tony and Bruce were seated right away in a booth in the corner by a polite young waitress who gave them menus, took their drink orders, and stared at them oddly. Bruce noticed, but didn't comment. Stark was too excited - and probably chattering too much - to have seen it. He didn't notice it the second time when the woman returned with their drinks, either.

Tony sipped his wine (the place's finest) and was shocked to find it wasn't terrible. In fact, as he continued sipping it, he found it was pretty damn good. He tried and failed to get Bruce to taste it.

"Tony, one of us need to be able to drive home. And with the rate that you're drinking your wine, it will have to be me." This was said with a wry smile and sarcastic tone, not the chiding or bittern tones Pepper would have used. Tony smiled.

"Well, Bruce-y, looks like you'll get your first taste of driving a real car. Besides, this wine is surprisingly good."

"Clint swore by the place, didn't he?" Bruce was caught between laughing and feeling a bit guilty.

"I don't trust Legolas's tastes in anything but arrows. And now, _maybe _Italian food."

"Focus on the menu, Stark."

A light smirk made its way to Tony's lips. "Taking control, are we Banner?"

Bruce flushed, nearly choking on his water. "_Tony_. Can't you behave yourself for once?"

"Where would the fun be in that?"

Their waitress returned before Banner could reply, a bright smile on her face. She was young - early twenties or so - with dark hair and lightly tanned skin. The smile didn't reach her eyes as she asked what they would like. Her accent wasn't wholly upstate New York, and Bruce wondered if she happened to be related to the owners.

"I'll have whatever your speciality is. Or whatever you recommend." Stark waved his hand in a rather offhanded manner, which seemed to shock the girl. "Just bring out that bottle of wine when you return, right?" Now the poor girl looked even more confused.

"Tony do you really need the bottle?"

"Bruce-y, if I can afford it, yes. And we both know I can."

Stark's companion sighed and returned his attention to the awkward waitress. "I'll have the cannelloni, please."

She wrote down their order, telling them it would be just a few minutes. Then she was retreating. The perplexed expression didn't seem to leave her face as she fled to the kitchen. Moments after she entered the swinging doors, an older man came out and presented Tony with the bottle of wine he requested. Once again, Stark's wine glass was full.

"So, big guy, I figured next week I would introduce you to the necessary people and such so that you can officially become my science consultant. Of which there is a need for, before you start sniping at me."

"I still don't think..."

Tony's words cut across his without pause. "I know most of the people you'll meet will seem stuck up (because they are, really), but once they see how great you are at science lingo, you'll be fine."

With a smile, Bruce shook his head. He clearly wouldn't get his point across right now. "Whatever you say, Tony."

His friend's eyebrows quirked up. "_Whatever_ I say?"

"Why does everything turn into an innuendo with you?"

After finishing his second glass of wine, he answered, "Because we are clearly dancing around the topic here."

"What topic?"

"The house special for you, sir," came a voice. Bruce started, realizing he hadn't even noticed their waitress returning with their food. How odd. "It's our specialty spaghetti." She sat a steaming plate in front of Tony and continued, "And the cannelloni for you." The woman put down Bruce's food as well. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, thank you," Banner answered. She nodded her head and politely excused herself.

"Mmm, maybe Hawky does know his way around Italian food. Screw high-end, I may just go for homemade." Tony twirled his fork around more of the pasta, stabbed a meatball, and took another bite. He made a very pleased noise and nodded. "Yup. Homemade it is. If only Legolas dressed better. I might think about keeping him around."

Bruce felt odd at these words, and frowned a bit, but ignored it. His cannelloni was better than expected as well. Stark kept up his teasing during the dinner, and Bruce would return the banter. Their earlier conversations were forgotten as Tony remarked on his ideas for yet another, improved version of his Iron Man suit. They kept their voices low and stopped talking whenever someone walked by or the waitress came to refill Bruce's water. Dr. Banner continued to notice the way she stared at the men, but didn't remark or dwell on it. He was very used to odd stares by now.

"And anyway, if I decreased the bolt size, it would probably be a little lighter. Lighter is faster. And faster is good." Stark refilled his wine glass; Bruce had forgotten how many glasses Tony had devoured before this one.

"You have to make sure it isn't _too _light, and keep the bolts reliable."

"Good point, Bruce-y. We can sketch up some plans later this week."

"We?" Bruce was, admittedly, shocked. The Iron Man suit was Tony's baby more than his Audi. He made the very first, and all the others. His designs stemmed everything; including countless attempts (read: failures) to completely recreate the suit. It wasn't something Stark took lightly.

"Of course. With both of us, this suit will be practically perfect!"

As their chatter carried on, Bruce was still worried about how much trust Tony gave him in, well, _everything_. While he certainly wasn't upset about it, he worried what would happen if something were to happen and he would have to leave. It did go without saying that he would have to leave, be it a day or a month from now. If he made it the entire six months, it would be a miracle all in itself. Which he wouldn't, but it was a very good try at convincing himself. Tony, it seemed, _was _convinced Bruce would stay indefinitely. He wouldn't mind staying with Tony; he enjoyed living with the eccentric man. But it wouldn't last. It never has.

**OoOoO**

The young woman discreetly watched the two men at the booth in the back right corner. They were currently laughing at something the taller, more distinguished-looking one had said. She was facing the taller one, so the broader one's face wasn't in her view. Skillfully navigating around all of the chairs and tables, she asked an older couple if they would like refills ("Why, yes, thank you," with a set of sweet smiles) while keeping her eyes on the gentlemen as much as she dare. She refilled the couple's glasses and made idle chatter for a few moments. Now they were talking and she had a side view of the broader man's face; it looked like they were trying to keep their words hushed. The tall one said something; the broad one cracked a grin; the tall one beamed.

Pretending to be wiping off a table, she sat her ordering pad down and pulled out her cell phone. The two were smiling and talking again. The tall one picked up his work, twirled a bit of spaghetti around it, and teasingly held it out to the other man. She ducked her head for a few moments, swiping the cloth in her hand over the tabletop. When she looked up, the broad man was leaning in with a look that clearly said he was doing this amuse the other man. Just as his lips enclosed the fork and the tall man and the broad man locked their gazes together, the woman's phone captured the moment silently. _Finally_, she had the perfect picture. Her grin rivaled the taller man's.

Very nearly beaming, she put her phone back and hummed as she made her way to the kitchen. "Nonna, I'm going to take my break, now!" Her grandmother, sitting in a chair and peeling potatoes, nodded.

"Ten minutes, Veronica. Then those two gentlemen and the elderly couple should be ready for dessert or their check."

"Yes, Nonna." The young woman hurried to the back exit, closing the door and letting her back collapse against the wall next to it. She drank in the summer air, a bit humid, and unlocked her phone. After a quick message to her sister in college, she waited anxiously for the reply.

_Are you sure that's what you saw, Veri? _her sister replied.

In response, she sent the picture.

_Oh. My. God. Veri, get the weekend off and I'll come pick you up. I've got a few people to contact before we do this._

_Tony Stark's going to pay for my first car_, she thought with a smug grin.

**OoOoO**

Tony Stark was a bit surprised when Bruce actually took a bite of his spaghetti. He'd had quite a bit of wine (_Wait...was the bottle _already _empty? Hadn't it been mostly full when they brought it out? Ah, hell. Not like it matters now._) and felt more relaxed than he had in too long. So he started messing with Bruce. But Banner rose up to the challenge and took a bite.

As soon as the fork was encased in Banner's lips, his eyes darted up to Tony's.

Mother of God, he should not be having those thoughts about Bruce.

**OoOoO**

Bruce wasn't exactly sure why he went along with tasting Tony's food. It was a rather intimate gesture, but he didn't think Stark meant it like that. Maybe having such a nice time with his friend caused him to let his guard down. Maybe Tony's wine was getting him contact-drunk. Maybe he just wanted to play along, like they were normal friends (and not two people brought together by having to destroy an alien army) for a moment. But, whatever the reason, he went along with it. He leaned in and made to take the food from Tony's fork.

And just as he had taken the fork into his mouth, he looked at Tony. The wry smirk he planned on giving the man was gone as soon as he met Stark's eyes. While his eyes were normally a soft brown, they looked almost black as they stared at Bruce. He didn't seem to be breathing, exactly, but his lips were parted to take in air. His gaze pinned Banner in place.

And, just like that, Bruce had the urge to run, to flee, to _get away_. There was something in Tony's eyes that he hadn't ever remembered seeing. While a small part of him seemed to revel and thrill at this, Bruce's instincts were wary.

If he hadn't simply flushed, taken the bite, and looked away, he may have recognized it.

After all, any natural predator knows what hunger looks like. The hunger in Stark's eyes was so obvious and raw it was almost painful.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Ah, Tony and his puns. Always entertaining.  
**2** Pouting Tony doesn't effect Bruce? I know it would me.  
**3** Clint is very observant. (I mean, look at his line of work...) What do you think about his observations, hm?  
**4** Who do you guys think will win the bet? My lips are _sealed_.  
**5** I sincerely hope you call know what spaghetti is. If not, go taste some. Pretty good. _Cannelloni_ is also known (to my fellow Americans, anyway) as _manicotti_. Also very good.  
**6** So... What do you think of Veronica?  
**7** _Nonna_ is a term many Italian children (as the Internet has informed me; I do so much research for this story) use when referring to their grandmother.  
**8** I sincerely tried not to relate number four of my **Author's Notes** to this. Really.  
**9** Sorry this took so long. I got stuck at the beginning. Honestly, I meant for it to be much longer. But then I came to the idea of adding both Tony and Bruce's perspectives of the moment, and I had to cut it off there. I think it turned out rather well, though. :) What about you?  
**10** I also posted this without hearing back from my Beta yet because I'm a very impatient, giddy author. (If you're reading this, forgive me, 'cause you're an amazing Beta!) So... If I make any changes later (which I don't think I will, but still) I'll warn you.


	10. Calm Before the Storm

Tony paid for the meal and left a "decent" tip. (Decent in the sense that it wouldn't buy a pair of his shoes, but it probably would buy two pairs for the waitress.) When he stood up, the world swooped quite a bit and he wobbled. Everything seemed to move at once, but he'd been much more intoxicated than this. He grabbed for the table but Bruce was at his side in a second, keeping him steady. Maybe most of a bottle of wine wasn't such a good-

He stopped that thought when Bruce slipped his arm around his waist. Tony leaned heavily against Bruce; his presence was warm and reassuring. That bottle of wine was the best damn idea he'd ever had.

Now, Stark probably could have made it to the car by himself after he adjusted to standing. His legs were wobbling, his head hurt, and he felt like passing out. But he'd dealt with this all on numerous occasions and could walk by himself. It would have taken him a bit longer; he might have run into something or knocked something over. The point is, he definitely could have walked by himself. But Bruce's arm was around his waist and his breath was against his neck. So he wasn't about to pass up a chance to be taken care of by Bruce.

Of course, Pepper taken care of Tony - but her caretaking always came with disapproving looks and scathing remarks. Bruce just shook his head a bit, gave him a smile, and laughed it off later. _The two are so different..._

_No_, Tony thought. _There's no need to compare Pepper and Bruce. Pepper was a love interest. Bruce is... A friend. A friend that I need to keep around because he needs me and I need him. Bruce is a really good friend. That I happen to have sexual thoughts about, sleep in the same bed with, and pretend to be slightly less capable so he'll stay pressed up against me like this._

God, he was a terrible person.

**OoOoO**

Banner shot his friend an amused look as the doctor attempted to help Tony into the passenger seat. Tony stopped him, leaning his back against the car and nearly falling because the door was open. Bruce stepped forward again, hands on Tony's flailing arms to steady the taller man. Content, Tony half leaned into the touch and let the car support his other half.

"Are you actually driving?" Tony winced at how slurred his voice kept coming out.

"Do you really think you're in any state to handle a car? You could barely walk out the restaurant, Tony."

Stark bit back quite a few remarks about things he was quite sure he _could _handle at the moment, and a few things he _wanted _to handle right about now. Saying those things would not get him anywhere right now. Instead, he smiled sloppily at his friend and said, "You're too good to me, Bruce-y." _I could be pretty good to you, too_. Damn his unfiltered thoughts. He didn't even know if he meant that sexually or not. He was so not drinking ever again. For the next few days.

Now Bruce gave him a very true, very adorable (_How fucking drunk _am _I?_) smile that may or may not have made Tony's heart stutter. Stark took a moment to realize just how far gone (_Did I think that with the alcohol in mind, or...?_) "Tony, after all you've done for me this is hardly even a favor. I hope, despite downing that bottle of wine and probably making your memories a bit fuzzy, that you had a nice night." He helped Tony into the car, reaching across to snap his seat belt into place when the man was finally settled against the seat. Stark wasn't sure he ever wanted be to sober again. It felt nice to have Bruce this close to him, helping him. Tony hated asking for help; maybe he'd make an exception.

Being so close to Bruce was nice, but his words made the billionaire frown. Just as Bruce was about to pull back, Tony put his hand on the man's forearm and gave him a rather serious look. "I always have a great time when I'm with you, Bruce. Why do you think I follow you around so much?"

Relaxing a bit at the teasing tone in the last words, Banner grinned. "My boyish charm?"

Stark laughed, rather loudly. Wine coated his breath. His grin fading a bit, Bruce pulled away and closed Tony's door. When he had gotten into the driver's seat and settled everything, Banner turned on the radio. He kept the music (ACDC, he thought) low as they drove through the rather small town. Tony kept quiet, staring at him or out the window until they were on the winding roads leading back to the Avengers Tower.

"Bruce?"

He glanced at Stark briefly. "Yes?"

"How'd you learnta drive my car so well?"

Banner flushed a bit. "I've, ah, seen you drive it quite a bit. I'm a quick learner."

Tony was glad he was sober enough to filter his mouth, even if he couldn't his thoughts. His mind gave him too many comments to counter Bruce's last statement. He kept quiet though. Insinuating things about what else Bruce could learn quickly while Stark was intoxicated didn't seem like it would help their friendship. After a few moments of lulling silence - punctured by what was definitely ACDC - he spoke again. "I'm glad you aren't pissed at me. Pepper would be."

"Why?" Banner's brow was furrowed.

"She doesn't like it when I drink."

"I don't like it when you hurt." There was a tiny moment of silence, then Bruce sucked in a few gasps of air. He looked like he was trying to take the words back in. "I mean, drinking is how you cope," his hand gripped the steering wheel tighter in a nervous habit, "and - uh - if it helps, then..."

Grinning like a fool, Tony adjusted his body a bit and leaned his head on Bruce's shoulder. He was thankful for the sleek interior of his Audi. "Thanks, Bruce." For a few long moments, they both just concentrated on the view outside the windshield. Bruce on the road, trying not to think of what Tony's actions might mean; Tony on the sky, wondering what his actions did mean.

**OoOoO**

Bruce nearly had to carry Tony into the house. Thankfully, no one was around. He could hear noise coming from the kitchen; apparently, that's where everyone else was. It wasn't too late, maybe ten. The team would surely be awake and he didn't want to run into anyone. So he quietly proceeded to the elevator.

Whenever he mentioned to Stark that he was taking him to his own room, Tony argued fairly well for being intoxicated. After his friend threatened to return to the doctor's room no matter what, Bruce gave up and agreed to continue their odd sleeping arrangements. He focused on _not thinking _about what it meant as he placed Tony on his bed. Banner shrugged out of his shirt and back into the Black Sabbath shirt (which had been washed and returned to him earlier that day). He contemplated going to change into his sweats, but didn't think Tony could be left alone that long. So he sighed and climbed into bed. The lights dimmed into darkness with a request to JARVIS. The doctor took a few minutes to get comfortable, keeping a respectable distance from his friend, and closed his eyes slowly. It had been a lovely day, but quite long. Bruce was tired. Just as he was about to doze off, the bed shifted to accompany Tony moving.

Bruce stilled. Tony was moving deliberately, so he was awake. The other's man arm draped around Banner and he rested his head on the doctor's chest. Stark's breathing was ragged, but didn't smell so much like wine anymore; Banner held his own breaths still.

"Tony?" he tried tentatively.

The man hummed a questioning response, but didn't move.

"Why did you move?"

"I was tired of staying away from you. Its too nice to be around you. Why're you so nice to me, Bruce-y?"

"Well... I- I guess its because you trust me. And I like you. You aren't afraid of me; you even test my limits for fun. I trust you."

Instead of replying, Tony just hummed again. This humming was contented and sleepy; it put a rather silly smile on Bruce's face. After a few moments, the taller man's breathing evened out. There was a failed attempt to remove Tony from his space that involved Tony only shifting closer and wrapping his arm around Bruce tighter. Banner sighed, an amused and fond sound, and took a few minutes to shift the blanket around them. It was slightly cold; Clint had probably been fiddling with the temperature settings again. (Or maybe it was Thor.) Throughout this, Tony just hugged himself closer to Bruce and breathed softly against the broader man's neck. Banner smiled fondly at the man and placed an arm around the sleeping billionaire. He may as well be comfortable.

**OoOoO**

Tony had no clue what made him drink so much last night. He could definitely handle his alcohol, but for some reason it was easier for him to recover from straight liquor than something weaker, like wine. So, he was thoroughly surprised when he woke up with a slight headache and nothing more. He was comfortable, warm, and didn't rightly feel like moving.

When he finally convinced himself to pry his eyes open, he almost didn't believe what he saw. He was curled into Bruce (Bruce!) with one hand wrapped around the man and another tangled in his hair. Their legs were jumbled together; Banner had his arms wrapped around the taller man. Tony nearly stopped breathing after he took inventory of their position. This was...new. Very new. He and Bruce had woken up back to back, and even a bit too close. But this was much different. He'd only woken up like this with Pepper. That hadn't happened until a month or so into their relationship, after they'd-

_Sonovabitch, did I have sex with Bruce?_

Trying to shove down a rising sense of panic, Tony noted that he was in his clothes from last night. And that Bruce was in his shirt again. He ignored the jolt of pleasure he felt at realizing that. What did it matter if Banner happened to wear his shirt quite a bit? To bed, as well as in the lab.

_Okay, so I didn't molest him or anything. Apparently we're just...cuddling. Fuck, I don't cuddle. Do I wake him up? Or pretend to be asleep, or just leave, or...? God damn it. From now on, its straight vodka. How did I even end up like this?_

And then the memory flooded his mind, of working up the courage to move closer and hearing Bruce talk about why he liked the eccentric man. Warmth spread through his chest as he chided himself for his strange actions. At least he could remember some parts of his night. The conversation about his suit, a fuzzy walk to the car, part of the elevator ride, his head on Bruce's shoulder in the car, giving Bruce a bit of his spaghetti.

Oh, he really didn't need to remember that last part. He could practically feel his eyes darkening with lust at the memory. Only Bruce Banner could have taken something totally innocent and turn it into the sexiest thing Tony Stark had ever seen.

Which was sure as hell saying something.

Okay, no. This isn't helping. Tony tried to turn his thoughts to something else before his lust became apparent. That would be bad. He thought about anything else. Board meetings, ACDC, working on his suit, fighting world-invading aliens...

Just as he managed to calm himself down, Banner began to shift. A low moan made its way from the man's throat (_Think of Loki attacking the city, Coulson breaking into the Tower, Fury nagging..._) and his eyes fluttered open.

Bruce was awake.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** So this a bit short, and it took forever... Sorry, lovelies. I had hardcore writer's block with this.  
**2** Surprise! It's also un-Beta-ed, so don't kill me.  
**3** Oh, Tony, you're so conflicted. It makes for such good story lines.  
**4** Making progress, even if it is because Tony really liked that wine and seems to have a soft spot for cuddles when he's kinda drunk.  
**5** No Veronica in this chapter. Do you guys think that's a good thing? Hmm... I wasn't really surprised by how much you hated her; I was surprised by how many of you think she'll go for blackmailing our Science Boyfriends. You lot seem to be on the same wavelength. If only you knew if I rode this wavelength as well...  
**6** All of you amazing readers, there, you rock. I adore you. So, enjoy this while I go crawl into bed and brainstorm. [Hopefully, the next chapter will be written before I get distracted with Klaine again. _I have a problem._]  
**7** Also, this chapter is named after an exceptional _Fall Out Boy_ song. [Although I think everything with Patrick Stump is exceptional, so maybe I'm biased.] And because it fits the story right now. So beware.


	11. Learning a Lesson

Bruce opened his eyes just in time to see Tony shut his. He laughed a bit. "Tony, I can tell you're awake."

Stark groaned and opened his eyes. "I was kinda hoping to ignore all the awkward, Bruce. You aren't helping here."

"All the awkward...?" He trailed off for a moment, before he realized what Tony meant. They were literally tangled up in each other. Bruce's face flushed as he realized he'd wrapped his arms around Tony during the night. Their legs were jumbled together and Tony was nearly lying on top of the broader man. Unconsciously, a groan slipped from Bruce's lips. He and Tony had such a great night, even if it was a bit forward for him. And confusing, but that normally was the norm when spending time with Tony Stark. Why did everything have to get so complicated?

"So, I guess I get a little...cuddly with wine," Tony said, attempting a weak joke.

"Do you remember last night?"

Honestly, Tony thought about saying that he didn't. He could say that nothing from last night was fresh in his mind and that would be the end of it. If he denied knowing what happened, then it was almost like nothing actually happened. Before he could do just that, a small part of his mind that screamed this was a bad idea grew. It was almost as if it exploded and physically stopped him. The urge to tell the truth was so strong he couldn't do anything. It was pounding, pushing, _shoving _him to speak the truth. "Yes, I remember. You offered me a bit of your food, drove me home, and brought me inside. I demanded that I stay in your room and threatened to come back if you left me in mine. When we got to bed, I cuddled up to you and told you I was tired of being away from you."

Tony Stark had never believed that someone could actually vomit words. Now, he knew better.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, face morphing into shock, Tony tried to take back his words. "Bruce, I-"

But Bruce disentangled himself from the other man and backed away, to the edge of the bed.

"I don't know... Just, please stay and talk to me about this. We need to talk about it.

Shaking, Banner stood and proceeded to do what he did best. He ran.

Watching Bruce nearly stumble into the elevator, Tony fell back into the bed from his sitting position. "Why am I such a fuck up?" he mumbled to the empty room.

**OoOoO**

When Tony gained the courage to venture from Bruce's bed into other parts of the house many minutes later, he found the living room to be empty. He expected the kitchen to be just as vacant (seeing as how it was nearly ten), but two people sat at the table drinking lemonade. As if Stark hadn't already had a hell of a morning, seeing his ex-girlfriend and Spandex chatting at his kitchen table made him freeze.

They both turned to look at him, seemingly unfazed. "Good morning, Tony," Pepper said softly.

Glaring, Tony only nodded at her. Pepper bit her lip, but refrained from saying anything else. She expected this.

"Miss Potts was telling me about a function the Avengers will be required to go to in a month. It's something about finally having New York back in order," Steve said.

"Sounds riveting," Tony deadpanned. "Have either of you seen Bruce?"

Steve missed the way the other man's voice shook on the question and how Pepper stiffened slightly. "He grabbed some coffee and said something about going to the lab. Banner looked shaken about something. Maybe you should speak with him; you two seem to be the closest on the team."

Both Pepper and Tony flinched at these words, for very similar reasons.

"Thanks, Spangles, I'll do that."

Gathering his wits, Tony made his way to the lab.

Bruce was there, just like Steve had said he would be. He was sitting hunched at a desk, pen gripped tightly in his hand as he scribbled away at a pad of paper. Occasionally, he would look over at a tablet screen.

Tony stared from the doorway for the better part of an hour. Bruce looked incredibly tense, but as the minutes passed he almost relaxed. When he was so caught up in his work and close to relaxing, Tony saw some of the things he loved about Bruce. He was focused and clearly intelligent, but anyone could see the self-doubt written in his form. Something about him seemed more...closed-off than before. Stark frowned.

He had done this to Bruce. He pushed too far, wanted too much. And now it ended with Bruce being uncomfortable. Sighing, Tony removed the foot he had placed forward to go to Bruce. He turned around and forced himself to leave. With a sinking heart, Tony Stark made his way to his office and buried himself in his paperwork and too many shots of whatever he'd hidden in his desk. He couldn't be bothered to remember.

**OoOoO**

The next three days were terrible for nearly everyone in the tower. _Nearly _everyone because Thor was much too excited for Darcy and Jane's upcoming visit to notice anything else.

Bruce spent all of his time in the lab, unless he was acting on his body's needs. He even slept in the lab. Even if no one else knew the cause, the team knew this was in order to avoid Tony as much as possible.

Tony, in turn, stayed far away from the lab. He was constantly on the go, meetings and benefits and anything and everything else. When he was at the tower, it was to sleep or do paperwork in his office. He let people assume he returned to his room, but Natasha and Clint had been quick to notice the elevator stopping a floor short. Spending his nights surrounded by everything he had made for Bruce was its own bitter irony. In a way, he deemed this his own punishment.

Natasha and Clint were concerned. Besides themselves, Bruce and Tony were the closest on the team. This rift would do no good, but they had no clue how to solve it. When Hawkeye tried to bring it up, Tony had taken the time to stare at him blankly before slamming his shot glass down and storming out the tower. After Natasha heard this, they decided not to approach Banner on the matter either.

On the other hand, Steve had had about enough. He knew this was Tony's fault, even though the two refused to talk about the argument. So, unable to get through to them, he used the best means he had. He called Pepper.

**OoOoO**

"Yes, I know." Tony paused, letting the other person on the phone speak. "Of course I have the papers drawn up already... No, I can't do lunch that day. Alright, I'll be there first thing Monday." He put away his phone, already turning to his laptop. "Pepper!" he called. One good thing had come out of his fight with Bruce; he and Pepper were now on speaking terms, for business. "I need you to pencil in the administrator of-"

"Tony, we need to talk," she interrupted, trying to get straight to the point. With a sigh, Pepper sat down in the seat across from his desk and snapped his laptop shut before he could object.

Tensing, Stark settled back into his seat and nodded at her to continue.

For a moment, she only stared at him. Stark was dressed immaculately in one his many designer suits, but he was unshaven and smelled of strong alcohol. There were bags under his bloodshot eyes. His mouth smiled a bit; it didn't reach his eyes in the slightest. Her heart lurched at seeing him so obviously unhappy.

Pepper knew this talk was definitely out of line, but it needed to be said. No one else seemed to be able to say it. Steve said that when Clint had tried, it had been disastrous. She reminded herself that Tony _had _to hear this and hurried into the conversation.

"Look, I don't know what happened with you and Dr. Banner, but you need to fix it. Most of the reason that I broke up with you is because I know you...care for him. Like you used to me, and maybe even stronger. If you haven't already, you need to come to terms with this. Bruce is special to you. You need him around. I haven't seen you as happy as you are with him since I've known you, Tony." She took a deep breath. "Just... Don't mess this up. You _need _this. I think he needs this, too. This isn't one of your flings. You can't just spend the night with him and then have JARVIS take out the trash like you did to that pop-star and every other woman. Banner is different."

As Pepper talked, Tony's facial expression and body language became more and more closed off. When she was finished, he leveled her with a steel-like gaze. A biting retort was on the tip of his tongue until he saw the sincerity in his assistant/CEO/ex-girlfriend's gaze. She meant every word. It made him want to confide in her and tell her everything. He wanted to tell her how much he cared about Bruce, how scared he was to admit this, how different he felt around him. Bruce brought out the best in him and their distance brought out the worst. No one else made Tony _feel _so much without even trying. Tony even found himself yearning to tell Pepper he had not slept with Burce, because he would never dream of pushing him too far, too fast. He almost told Pepper that he was at peace around the other man, able to relax, maybe even love completely. But he couldn't.

Instead, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist shook his head. The movement was minimal, but Pepper caught it. She sighed again and stood up.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she murmured softly, turning around and slipping into the hallway to make her way to the elevator.

He wasn't sure what she was apologizing for.

Author's Notes:

**1** Ah, the wake-up scene. I hope it wasn't too rushed for you.  
**2** Hmm... Tony and Pepper plotting...  
**3** Now that my surprisingly short commentary is done, I would like to thank my stand in Beta Novelist N Training for the exceptional work on this chapter. I appreciate this as well as your super fun reviews.  
**4** Because the people around me really like going to the river, I shall be gone for the weekend. If I'm super lucky (which means I have the equivalent to the chances of being struck by lightning), there will be another chapter before I leave. There probably won't. I also would like to apologize for the lateness on this chapter, as well as thank all of you for your lovely reviews!


	12. Compensation

Tony and Bruce kept up their game of avoidance until Friday. Thor was nearly bursting with his manly giddiness, eager to see Jane Foster and her little friend Darcy. As usual, Steve was the one that demanded all of their presence. Natasha had taken the demi-god to pick the girls up from the airport, so that left Steve, Bruce, Tony, and Clint to sit in an awkward silence in the living room.

Finally, Steve broke the silence by clearing his throat. Everyone turned to look at him - Clint and Bruce with curiosity and Tony with annoyance. "I think this visit will be very good for Thor. He apparently did not have much time to spend with Miss Foster when he was here helping us defeat Loki."

"What ever happened to that smarmy bastard anyway?" Tony asked. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he inquired about Loki's punishment. Closing them, he leaned his upper half against the wall and crossed one ankle over the other. His arms moved out a bit to keep himself steady before he crossed them over his chest.

Shooting the billionaire a dark look for his choice of words, Captain America replied, "Apparently, Oden stripped him of his powers and banished him to live with humans here on Earth. Miss Lewis, who works for Miss Foster, has been taking care of him. He is confined to an apartment unless with Miss Lewis or his brother. Thor hasn't had much of a chance to visit him, unfortunately."

Stark snorted and pushed away from the wall with an sneer. "They went way too easy on him." Clint made a passionate sound of agreement; Banner stayed silent.

"Well," Steve said slowly, "Thor said this was a pretty harsh punishment for him. After all, he's incredibly weak without his powers and he can cause no harm locked in an apartment."

Any further discussion was cut off by Natasha entering the lake house with a slightly short brunette girl wearing a laid back outfit and black-framed glasses. The girl glanced around the room before her eyes landed on Tony. A giant smile broke out on her face and she dropped her bag promptly on the wooden floors. She flew to Tony's side in a blur of excitement.

"You're Tony Stark!" she exclaimed, a babbling quality to her words.

He smirked, a bit fondly. "Yes, Miss Lewis, we went over this the first time we met." Smiling at the girl, Tony took her hand and kissed it. "It's lovely to see you again," he said with a wink.

She positively lit up with glee. "You remember me! Awesome! I totally still have your autograph, by the way. No way some random noob on eBay is getting it."

Tony laughed at this and continued carrying an easy conversation with the girl. Bruce looked on, an odd pull in his chest each time Stark laughed or smiled at something she said. He ignored it, as he had been ignoring Tony all week.

After a few minutes, Clint leaned towards Romanov and asked about Thor and Jane.

"I thought they could use a while alone. Happy took them to a nice restaurant in town. Some Italian place... I'm fairly certain it was called _The Olive Branch_." When Barton laughed at this, she gave him a weird look. He just waved it off and continued smirking.

Soon after this, Darcy realized there happened to be other famous people in the room. She waited for a lull in her conversation with Tony and immediately turned toward Steve and held out her hand. "I'm Darcy Lewis, caretaker to an ex-demi-god and sarcasm expert. I work with Jane, who's banging Zeus."

Both Barton and Stark laughed uproariously at Steve's expression. Natasha hid a smile behind her hand and Bruce shook his head, his own smile in place. When Rogers found his voice, he politely said, "Hello, ma'am. I'm Steve Rogers."

Darcy gave him an odd smirk. "Of course you are. You're almost as famous as Mr. Stark!" Then she turned to Clint.

Tony was laughing even harder now, clutching his stomach dramatically. Clint was still chuckling as well. Steve seemed to be debating offense.

"And _you_," Darcy said to Barton, "are the ever-mysterious Hawkeye. You have some wicked talent, dude." Grinning, Clint bumped knuckles with the girl and thanked her. Jane's assistant moved on to Dr. Banner. "_You_ are Bruce Banner, the man that houses the green beast. I bet you have some _serious _self-control. You ever think of teaching anger management?"

Bruce chuckled and said, "No, I haven't. I bet I'd make a fair amount of money though."

"Totally. But probably not as much as you earn with S.H.I.E.L.D. They do pay you guys, right? 'Cause they pay me to babysit an acerbic guy with a Napoleon complex, so they should seriously pay you guys for saving the world and shit."

"We are compensated, yes."

"Ooh, compensated. Big word. You sound like Mr. Stark. You guys both like science, right? Do you ever hang out or work together?"

There was an awkward silence after she asked this. Darcy perked up at the lack of response, brow crinkling in confusion.

"What? I could totally see you guys being great friends. I bet you have, like, a bromance or something."

Bruce cleared his throat awkwardly, and went to say something. Tony, however, had other plans. He sat on the couch next to Bruce and slung his arm over the doctor's shoulders. "You see, Miss Lewis, Banner and I are Science Bros. Out of all my team, I probably annoy the hell out of him the most and make him laugh the most. He's the one that can handle my snark and devilish good looks the best. Bruce-y Boy here is my _best friend_." There was a darker tone to Tony's words and Bruce froze when he caught the scent of alcohol on his friend's breath. Before he could stop whatever Stark was about to do, the other man continued. "But I made Bruce-y a little...uncomfortable and now everything's gone to the dogs."

The other members of the team all looked uncomfortable themselves at this topic. Darcy turned to Banner with a frown. "What'd he do?"

"Um..." Face flushed, Banner's eyes darted around for a way to escape this conversation. He wasn't ready to have it with Tony, let alone this strange girl.

Grinning, although it was a rather sardonic expression, Tony leaned forward and whispered in the girl's ear. When he pulled back, she seemed to understand. Bruce, on the other hand, was entirely confused and happened to be getting more anxious by the second. This conversation wouldn't end well. His instincts were growing, telling him to move, to _get out_.

Something in his expression must have given this away, because Steve stepped into the conflict. "Stark, this is no time for your petty games. Dr. Banner is getting uncomfortable, and we don't want anything to happen."

"Oh, he definitely didn't want _anything to happen_."

Bruce flinched at these words.

"_Stark_, control yourself. I know it's hard for you and all, but this is important."

Anger flashed in Tony's eyes. Natasha and Clint shifted, readying themselves for whatever they may need to do. Darcy looked unsure of what she should do, so she settled further into the couch.

"Look, Spandex, I'm perfectly controlled. I was just having a chat with a few friends. You remember those things right? People _around your age_, that you've _known for a while_, that you _feel close to_."

A dark look replaced Steve's steely taking-responsibility expression.

"Tony," Bruce cut in quietly, "that was uncalled for."

"I don't know if I trust your judgment on what's called for, considering the subject we've been dancing around," Tony said scathingly. A second later, when the disappointed frown crossed Banner's lips, he seemed to want to take the words back.

Before he could, though, Bruce's instincts won. Something within him had nearly been _screaming_ for him to flee. So he did.

Swearing under his breath, Tony followed.

Just as the room fell into awkward silence, Darcy spoke up. "Look, Spangles," she began, and Steve recalled Stark calling him that once, "what Mr. Stark said was completely out of line. It's probably really hard waking up from such a long nap. But you seriously shouldn't have jumped on him like that. What went on is between Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner, even if Mr. Stark seems to bring it up with everyone else. It's their business, not yours."

"It is my business. We're a team; we need to work together like one. I don't expect you to understand, because you're just a kid-"

"Excuse me, dude. I am not a kid. I've got a degree in political science, my own job, my own apartment, a driver's liscene, boobs, and various others things to prove that. Hell, I babysit the dude it took your _team _to take down. And who ended up saving the world? That's right, _Iron Man_. Or, one Tony Stark." She glared at him for a moment or two, before turning and picking up her bag. When the strap was secured over her should, she faced Natasha. "Care to show me my room?"

Nodding diplomatically, Romanov led the girl out the room. Barton made himself scarce after that. Steve stood in the middle of the room, wondering when everything stopped making sense and when young women had gotten so catty.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Really? Do you think Thor's giddiness would be anything **but** manly?  
**2** In my 'verse, that's what happened to Loki. If you want further proof of my delusions, feel free to read my Loki/Darcy fic (which I need to complete...) _Never Been __Kissed_.  
**3 **Also, further proof that Tony and Darcy have met is in my collection of Thor/Jane centered one-shots, two-shots, drabbles, ect. called _If You're Gone_. Feel free to read that, too.  
**4 **Darcy! Oh, how I missed her insanity. This will be fun.  
**5 **Oh, a return return of Snarky!Tony. This is temporary fun. Because he always ends up putting his foot in his mouth.  
**6** I have to thank the amazing _Novelist N Training_ for the idea of Defensive!Darcy (oh, I spy alliteration).  
**7** You can think education for my lack of an update. I do apologize, for being such a horrid authoress. Also, I'm sending this without my Beta's feedback. How do you people put up with me?


	13. The Runaways

Bruce was quite predictable, and had fled to his room. As soon as the elevator returned, Tony was following him. Stark was nervous. It felt as if his arc reactor would overwork itself any second during the insanely-short-but-much-too-long elevator ride. (Which of course it wouldn't; Tony Stark does not build things for them to break.) The elevator stopped and JARVIS asked for the code to enter this particular floor. Tony sighed the password and watched as the doors slid open. Banner sat on his bed, back to Tony, staring out the windows. The broad man had scrunched himself into a hunched figure, arms curled around himself. A lovely scene of the lake, sun setting over it, was painted through the glass and Banner seemed to focus on it rather than Tony's enterance.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

This wasn't right. Tony Stark did not apologize, did not care when he needed to give an apology. He was cocky and sure of himself. Never did he let doubt creep into his actions, let alone his voice. His mind never scolded him for hurting someone else's feelings.

Very suddenly, Tony Stark felt as if he didn't know himself.

This was another, troublesome, outcome he had not predicted. It's probably a good thing Stark hadn't taken up gambling.

"You should apologize to Steve," Bruce replied.

"He doesn't deserve it." Stark knew his voice was bitter; he still couldn't bring himself to feel much more than envy buried under (copious) mounds of anger towards Steve Rogers.

The unspoken, _And I do?_ hung in the air awkwardly. Slowly, Tony paced on the other side of the bed. His mind was swirling around Bruce, _always Bruce_. He remembered their chats and banter in the lab, how Banner never failed to make him laugh. Their shopping trip was a prominent memory; only the night at _The Olive Branch_ and the morning afterwards were before that in his mind. Bruce's soft laugh, unsure smile, and humble nature. His intelligence, wit, sarcasm, and control. The way he walked, came to life around science, and occasionally grinned like he knew everyone's secrets. All Tony could think of was _Bruce_.

Slowly, and very unsurely, Banner asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Stark knew what he meant. Why did he press for more with Banner? Why did he have to be near him, around him? Why did he care? Why did he treat the man as much more than an equal? Why did he bother at all? Why wasn't he afraid? Why did he want to be closer to Bruce?

With a shaking breath, Tony stopped, his eyes piercing Banner's stiff back. But Bruce still didn't turn around. He sat rigidly, as if afraid to move. The doctor's eyes were still locked on the window; Tony spoke anyway. "Sometimes, I don't know. But other times, I know. I _let _myself know. It's a terrifying thing, Bruce, caring so fucking much. No matter what, I know I care about you and you're my best friend. When I let myself, I know I want you. I need you. You mean... a lot to me, and I'm not sure why." Tony paused, then laughed bitterly. "Actually, I do know why. I could write a novel of fucking _prose _as to why." He stopped moving, completely, his eyes closing as he let slip his hushed words to the man before him.

"If you think about it, you know why, too."

And then, not for the first time in his life, Tony ran away before he could face the consequences of his actions.

He was scared and unsure of how everything would turn out. Bruce could ignore what he said it they could go back to a painfully normal friendship. Or he could ignore what Stark said and ignore Stark himself, as he had been doing recently. He could tell Stark to forget his feelings and they could resume their banter. In Tony's wildest dreams, Banner stayed. In dreams that Tony didn't dare dream, Bruce not only stayed but admitted that Tony would not live with unrequited feelings.

Right now, though, he was running. Insecurities were lining up to be exposed and he needed something stronger than the scotch in his desk to make this go away.

**OoOoO**

Thor was sure he'd never been so happy in his lifetime. After having a lovely dinner with Jane, they returned to the lake house. Banner and Stark seemed to be missing, but he introduced her to everyone else. After a little while of small talk, they went to the pier.

Now, they were enjoying having their backs pressed to the wooden dock and their sides pressed together as they looked at the sky. Streaks of red and pink wove their way through the black night as the sun set. It was a beautiful sight, but Thor was distracted by a far more fetching image. Jane was snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder, barely asleep. Her breathing was soft and even, tickling his neck with each exhale. One of her arms wrapped around his waist and kept him near.

As though he would go anywhere.

No, he was pleased with his current position. He was with Jane, amongst friends, and did not have to worry about any world-threatening issues. So, with a smile, he pulled her ever closer and enjoyed the moment.

Not even the Allfather could tell him how many more he would have with this woman.

**OoOoO**

While Thor was very happy, Steve was very thoughtful at the moment.

Yes, Stark had certainly pissed him off. Such a low insult about losing everyone he cared for was sure to sting.

But Stark had meant for it to sting, because he was hurt and lashing out. In Steve's mind, it made perfect sense to see Tony Stark as a cornered fox or snake or something of the sort. When left to his own devices, he was devious and snarky, but pleasant enough. However, when was cornered, hurt, or otherwise unsure, he became unbearable and lashed out at anything that threatened him in any way. All of his insecurity and frustration could be taken out by hurting someone else. This time, Steve just happened to be the victim.

He could not fault Tony, not really, after he thought about Miss Lewis's surprisingly wise words. She was right. While the team was certainly his business, he didn't go around asking Barton and Romanov about the nature of their relationship. In fact, he'd rather not know. It made things easier that way. Steve was, admittedly, biased against Tony. He figured the man would mess up his friendship with Banner and be unable to repair it because of his impossible urge to hurt others when he felt threatened. That wouldn't end well, especially not with the Hulk lurking just under the surface for Banner. Steve was reluctant and wary of any arguments that could bring out the green monster. Tony was the perfect example of this.

On the other hand, he had realized and (in the form of going after Banner, at least) attempted to make up for his words. While he hadn't (as far as Rogers knew) dropped to his knees and pleaded for forgiveness, it was a start.

Maybe Steve was too harsh on Stark, because he expected better from the man. Tony really wasn't much like his father, as much as Steve wanted him to be. He realized, now, that wanting that was unfair to Tony. Tony Stark was very much his own person, and Steve needed to see that.

As he mulled over his argument with Tony, he liked to think he was a step closer.

**OoOoO**

It was three forty-seven in the morning. Jane and Thor had stumbled in, giggling, just after midnight. An hour after that, Hawkeye and the Black Widow had retired to their hall. Forty minutes later, Steve took the elevator to his floor. At two fifteen, Darcy went back to her guestroom. At twenty til three, Tony Stark gripped the bottle in his hand and finally decided he'd had enough to give himself a night of dreamless sleep.

Bruce Banner had a single bag in his hand. It had his last pair of sweats, the cheapest suit Tony had bought, a couple button-ups, two pair of jeans, and his toothbrush. Buried underneath all his necessities was the one item that he knew he couldn't leave behind, even if it would be his emotional undoing eventually - Tony's _Black Sabbath_ shirt. He had tried to leave it, even throwing it into the depths of his giant closet so he would forget to pack it. It didn't work. In the end, he stopped fighting with himself and put the shirt in his tiny duffel bag.

After all, it was just a shirt.

Quietly, Bruce Banner stepped into the living room. He made for the door, but stopped mid-step. Someone else was in the room. Spinning around, his eyes locked with those of his silent company. Calmly seated in a plush armchair was a solemn Natalia Romanova. One of her eyebrows quirked under his attention.

"Banner," she greeted calmly.

He inclined her head at her in a wordless greeting.

"I see you couldn't sleep," she mused.

Bruce stayed silent. He was still tense, waiting for the moment he could leave.

She gave him an amused smile. It seemed understanding and deprecating at the same time. "We're a team, you know. You don't need to leave. I think Tony would be much worse off if you did, actually."

"Tony doesn't need me, Natasha. He's his own person."

A small smirk formed on her lips at that. "What about you? Do you need Stark?"

The negative response that immediately settled across his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. One part of him scoffed at this; he didn't _need _Stark. Tony was a great companion and treated him like a human, maybe even better than most. They were friendly, sure, but any bonds Banner made were temporary. Another, more primal, part of him told him that Stark was good. He was nice, funny, witty, incredibly intelligent, able to hold his own in a conversation with the doctor, unafraid of the Hulk... But that didn't mean Bruce needed Tony, did it?

Natasha took Banner's silence to mean that it did, indeed, mean he needed the billionaire. Her smirk became a soft smile Banner had never seen before. "It isn't bad to need someone Bruce. Even I...have needed someone before. Clint and I are far more than coworkers." There was a cold glint in her eyes for a moment, as she said, "That simply means we're close; I am not insinuating more."

"Of course not," he agreed.

"Stark certainly needs you. I think you need him as well. Clint and Steve certainly try to be normal around you. Thor often seems to forget, but you aren't close with him. I know I'm a bit...tentative around you. It's in my nature and I don't mean any personal disrespect."

"I know. You're far kinder than some people in your situation have been."

"Tony's far kinder than anyone in his situation has been."

Banner, who had slowly begun relaxing at their conversation, stiffened and moved closer to the door. "I'm very grateful to Tony."

"Really?" Her voice was colder now, meant to arouse some sort of feeling from the doctor. "Most people don't vanish at odd times when they're grateful. They stick around and try to work things out with the people that care about them."

Bruce's hands tightened around his bag's strap. "It isn't that easy, Miss Romanov."

"Running isn't easy, either, Dr. Banner."

"I don't expect you to understand," he replied tonelessly.

"I don't expect you to give up so easily."

"I've never quite lived up to the expectations people set for me."

"Tony's expecting you to run."

Banner sighed. "Maybe some people have more realistic expectations."

"And what are your unrealistic expectations, Bruce?"

His posture immediately shifted from angry to defensive and he glared at her. "Don't. Do not use your manipulative conversational skills on me."

"Don't leave, Bruce. It will help nothing."

A flash of green in his eyes kept her from continuing. Banner clenched his fists, knuckles whitening at the hold on his bag. "My staying won't help either. Tony would be better off without me. He can work things out with Pepper and resume-"

"Resume what?" she said lowly. "Being miserable underneath all the snarky comments and drinks? Working himself to death so he doesn't feel so empty? Stark can't stand himself, sometimes, Banner. You know this better than anyone. With you, he doesn't even seem to remember how unhappy he is."

"But he's still unhappy," Bruce pointed out. The anger had left his voice; it was replaced with something oddly close to helplessness.

"Have you considered that he's unhappy because he's with you, but unable to be _with you_?"

"Tony and I are always with each other."

Natasha gave him a pitying glance. "And you think that's all he wants?"

"What else could he want from me?"

Shaking her head, she stood. The spy crossed the room, pausing only after she was past Bruce. "Maybe you should ask yourself that, Dr. Banner."

**Author's Notes:**

**1** On the word _enterance_ - this is not a mistake. _Enterance_ is a word used for the arrival of someone very important; we all know Stark loves to think himself important. This also shows that Bruce thinks Tony important, even when they're in a tiff.  
**2 **Ah! Sort of a love confession. Finally. Geez, what's wrong with this authoress and taking so long to make everything happy and fluffy? Pft.  
**3 **A happy!Thor can also finally make an appearance. Yay for Thor/Jane reunions!  
**4** And a contemplative!Steve? This is crazy!  
**5** More Natasha/Bruce interaction. They're so difficult to write together. Gah.  
**6** As a mostly unrelated note, how do you guys feel about the rereleasing of _Avengers_?  
**7** Leave me reviews, people. They're less frequent and it gives me crippling sadness from a lack of feedback. Not really, but still.  
**8** This chapter has the fortune to share its name with a very lovely band. I do love Joan Jett.


	14. Happily Ever After

Darcy stared down at the body on the floor for a good ten seconds. To throw water at the slumbering person or not to throw water at the slumbering person.

Who sleeps on the kitchen floor, anyway?

And why hadn't anyone else found a napping person in the kitchen floor? Surely, the spies got up before she did. Maybe they didn't eat; that redhead was pretty lithe. Darcy spent another minute or so contemplating the eating habits of spies before a slight snore startled her into being alert once again. What the hell was she supposed to do?

Suddenly, Natasha's information about the house came back to her. Darcy nearly face-palmed. "Uhm... Home-robot-computer-thing?"

"You may call me JARVIS," came the reply.

"JARVIS, what am I supposed to do with Mr. Stark?"

"Mr. Stark came into the kitchen last night and fell asleep on the floor. When I attempted to wake him so he could move to a more appropriate sleeping place, he refused and demanded a pillow." Darcy laughed a bit at this. That sounded like Tony Stark. "Perhaps you should wake him."

"Alright, thanks."

"Of course."

Hesitantly, Darcy toed Tony's arm. He didn't so much as mumble. Gaining a bit of confidence, she leaned down and patted his shoulder. Tony still didn't wake. She tried again, only for another failure. After ten minutes of shaking, prodding, nudging, demanding, slight kicking, and poking at Stark, he still would not wake up. Just as she was about to ask JARVIS what she should do, Bruce Banner made his way into the kitchen. He paused when he saw the man lying on the ground.

"Why is Tony on the floor?" he asked, a bit unsurely.

"He fell asleep there, apparently."

Banner sighed and moved to the counter. Darcy raised her brows at him as he continued making a mug of coffee and ignoring Stark. She shrugged and went back to poking his face. When Bruce walked towards them and politely asked her to move over, she did. Rolling his eyes at the sleeping man, the doctor placed the coffee near Tony's face.

"Wassat?" mumbled Stark.

"It's coffee, Tony. Get up."

"Mmm, coffee's good."

"It is. Wake up."

"'mup."

"Closed eyes and mumbling aren't signs of coherence."

"'mcoheren."

"Not hardly." Banner pushed the coffee closer to Tony's nose. "Wake up for the coffee, Tony."

"Don' wan' coffee." Stark reached for the mug anyways, but Banner pulled it back.

"Sit up and you can have the coffee."

Grumbling, Tony sit up. Bruce handed him the coffee and Stark took a long drink. "Mmm. You make good coffee, Bruce."

"I've had to do it for you enough."

Darcy watched the scene with interest. The two continued their banter.

It was clear to her that Bruce knew how to and maybe enjoyed taking care of Stark. She was, of course, aware that Stark was insanely hungover and that may be the cause. However, she knew about Tony's feelings towards the other man. She may be a political science student, but she'd taken a few Psychology classes. Bruce definitely displayed care for Tony, even if he didn't realize it. Darcy would bet her new iPod that he realized it and it scared the hell out of him.

Bruce Banner had a few fears to get over before he and Tony Stark could have their cliche riding off into the sunset.

**OoOoO**

Veronica was similarly thinking about a happily-ever-after in the near future. She had pleaded with her Nonna to get a weekend off, claiming that her sister soon be too busy with school to spend time with her. And with how important family is, this worked exceptionally well.

Her older sister, Camelia, went to NYU for a law degree. She'd gotten in entirely on scholarship and worked two jobs to keep up with everything else. Her boyfriend, though, was a well-to-do guy a few years older getting a degree in journalism. It was perfect for their situation.

"Veri, these pictures will definitely be worth something. Alex got us a meeting with one of the publishers of the second-best gossip magazine around New York. He figured they would pay a hefty price to get the story their competition hasn't heard of. Stark was also part of the Avengers, and there's going to be a benefit held in honor of finally repairing all the damage soon. It's supposed to be really important." Camelia continued on and on about their plan and the details.

Veronica, who had heard this several times by now, nodded accordingly and pretended to listen.

In reality, she was just waiting for the check.

Unlike her sister, Veronica wasn't born with any amazing talents to take her far. If she wanted to do anything but work in her Nonna's restaurant for the rest of her life, she needed a way out. Tony Stark would provide that.

**OoOoO**

"Spangles, would you excuse us? I need to talk to Dr. Banner alone."

Steve stopped himself from frowning at the young woman. Having Darcy Lewis around was like living with another Tony Stark. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

He nodded politely. "Of course, Ms. Lewis."

She didn't acknowledge him any more, just waited for Rogers to leave. He refused to be offended by the lack of manners on her part.

After Captain America had gone, Darcy turned to Bruce. The man was sitting on the back patio, looking out towards the darkening lake. It was getting late, but the setting sun hadn't brought Bruce back inside. Rogers and Barton had thought to keep the man company for a while; Natasha soon dragged Clint away for a mission report to Fury. That left the Hulk's counterpart and the American hero alone to fall in and out of idle chatter.

Now, though, it was only Banner and an inquisitive PolSci student.

Bruce mused that he should probably be afraid.

"Dr. Banner, we need to talk."

If Bruce were with Tony (and not just the extremely similar girl), he would have made a quip about a break-up speech following those words. Instead, he merely asked, "What about?"

"Mr. Stark."

Bruce's hands tightened on his chair; Darcy noticed. Continuing, she said, "He told me what he said to you - insinuated, really. I know how he feels. And I'm fairly certain I know how you feel."

The doctor barely kept the harsh laughter from bubbling out of the seam of his lips. He didn't even know how he felt. As if this strange girl could figure it out that easily.

"You shouldn't dismiss me so easily," the girl said, in a rather low voice. "Too many people do that. I'm sure you were the same way before you became the Hulk. It's much too easy to overlook geeky, quiet, science students, isn't it?"

At this, Bruce actually relaxed a little and looked at her. Darcy was frowning at the sky as if she immediately had someone in mind. She went on before he could say anything.

"I'm pretty good with people when they don't piss me off or I don't have to use my taser." Bruce thought those comments (coming from someone like Darcy) should go hand in hand, not seen as separate statements. The fact that they didn't worried him a bit. "Or, at least, studying people. I said only took the job with Jane because it was extra credit, but I really could just see how much she _ached _for someone to believe in her. I thought, _Why the hell not get paid for documenting some shit and encouraging a girl lacking the confidence she needed? _By the time she had actually got around to accidentally finding Zeus, Jane was confident in her science if not herself. Like I said, I can read people."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"C'mon, Doc, you have to know where I'm going with this. Stark is crazy about you. And after seeing how you two acted this morning, I think you've replaced Klaine as my OTP." Bruce hadn't a notion what _that _meant, but she continued before he could ask. "Why don't you just give Tony a chance?"

"Tony is my _friend_-"

"That clearly wants to be more than friends with you."

"He and Pepper-"

"Have already broken up. Don't even try to pull the "He's straight" excuse next."

"He's confused-"

"By your mixed signals? I know can imagine."

Well-meaning or not, Bruce was getting frustrated with this girl. She just didn't understand. Tony didn't understand. No one understood. Bruce Banner was not the witty, bright scientist he appeared to be. He wasn't even a damaged soul in need of affection. He was much worse. Bruce Banner was a monster. "Tony doesn't know what he wants," was all he could reply.

In a split second, Darcy Lewis went from cocky, witty companion to furious, shaking threat. She moved from her place by the door to stand directly in from of him. The starlight glowed behind her, forming a shadow over her raging form. "Don't. Do not say that. Tony can't control what he wants, but he sure as hell knows what he's acting on. He knows what he wants. You're the one to scared to let him in and give him a fucking chance to prove himself. If you would let down your damn walls, or your shields, or your hair, or what-the-hell-_ever _to let him in, you would _know_. Just because he can't help the circumstances doesn't mean he wants to change them.

"Love," she continued, "is a beautiful thing that can rip your heart out with a smile or make you happy enough to cry rainbows. You won't know what kind it is until you've unwrapped it; either way, it's usually worth it. And Tony Stark is sure as hell worth it. Given the chance, and Tony is _giving you the chance_, I'm pretty sure you are too."

Then she left him alone to ponder her words.

**OoOoO**

Darcy Lewis wished she could slam the door to her room. Sadly, it just slid back into place behind her with a soft clicking noise. She turned out the lights and flopped onto the plush bed.

As she stared up at the ceiling and listened as her _Don't Wanna Think About Anything_ playlist began, Darcy refused to blink. If she didn't blink, she couldn't cry. Crying was never good. Crying was shit. It made her eyes puffy and her head hurt. Crying made her feel more than she wanted to; it even led to thinking about why she was crying.

_Damn it_, she thought. _I'm not thinking, not feeling._

Shutting her eyes resolutely, Darcy let the music wash over her in loud, crashing waves. The tears slipped silently. Thankfully, they weren't the overwhelming sobs she usually cried. That type of crying was restricted to her room after a particularly bad day at her job.

One of the songs reached its crescendo and Darcy reluctantly scrubbed her hands over her face. She hated crying.

But she'd needed that, much as she was loathe to admit it. What Banner had said hit too close to home.

**OoOoO**

Tony Stark focused on the paperwork in front of him. He hated paperwork.

It was, however, an excellent distraction (when he could focus on it properly) from everything going on. And by everything, he meant the mess of things that he'd made of his friendship with Bruce. Stark had acted too quickly, too desperately. He'd done exactly what he hadn't wanted to - scared Bruce away. Tony Stark was at fault. As usual.

He sighed and opened the whiskey at his side. Fuck work. Unrequited love was sure as hell something that permitted slacking on paperwork. And the whiskey was one of the few things that made the situation better.

Just as he raised the bottle to his lips, Bruce Banner walked into his office.

Tony Stark sit the bottle down. This was going to be...

He didn't know what to expect. This equation had too many unknown variables, blank spaces, and possible outcomes. It wasn't something he could map out.

That was a frightening thought.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** Stark on the floor. No surprise.  
**2** Darcy taking charge! Woo!  
**3 **On Darcy's feelings about the talk... Maybe you'll find out later. If I get some particularly lovely reviews, hm?  
**4** I also skimped on sending this to my Beta. I give her free rights to complain about my conduct. Lastly, **we reached 100 hundred reviews!** You guys are amazing and I adore you. The fluff shall begin soon, as a belated reward.


	15. I Hate Myself for Loving You

Steve Rogers was lonely.

He wasn't alone, of course. There were always other people in the lake-house-turned-"Avengers-Tower" to keep him company. He and Clint had become good pals; Thor was counted amongst the people he felt the closest to. Dr. Banner and Miss Romanov weren't bad for chatting. Stark still refused to remain civil towards him, though.

He was just...lonely.

Steve was not a blind man, nor was he lacking any observational skills. He could see how deliriously happy Thor was after being reunited with Jane. Whatever was going on between the two science enthusiasts seemed more than platonic as well. (Putting aside any personal feelings he may have on the matter of homosexuality, the couple made sense.) The two spies of the household had at least some sort of bond that nothing could touch.

That left him as the lone man.

Well, there was Darcy Lewis. She, however, reminded him much too much of Stark and (from the drifting gazes and constant movements towards her cell phone) seemed to have someone on her mind.

Therefore, Steve Rogers was the lonely leftover of the Avengers and their group of friends.

Just as he imagined he would spend another Sunday reading, brooding, and catching up on world events, someone rang the doorbell. Seeing as he was the only one in the living room and that everyone else was previously engaged, that left him to answer it. Forcing a smile onto his face, he opened the door to find a rather stern looking Pepper Potts.

**OoOoO**

"What can I do for you, Bruce?" Stark's words were level and emotionless. He looked up at the other man with guarded eyes.

"I think it's time we talked about everything going on, Tony." Bruce sat down in the chair in front of Tony's desk.

Tony froze. His hands were splayed across the top of his desk. If he hadn't been so still, they would be shaking. This was too similar to what happened with Pepper. He took a deep breath and reached for the whiskey next to him. A firm hand covered his before he could bring the bottle to his lips. Bruce was staring at him with a frown. Tony looked at him in surprise, momentarily forgetting the tension.

In that split second, Stark saw everything he wanted with Bruce. Sober days as well as nights, endless laughter, hours of contemplative silence while they worked, spur of the moment trips, good natured nagging for Tony to finish his work, teasing Bruce until he blushes, a lifetime.

Holy shit, Tony Stark wanted to spend The Rest of his Life with Bruce Banner.

"Can we talk without you drinking?"

Well, there went all of Tony's bravado. He nodded, unsure if he could speak. It took him a moment, but he did reply. "Where do you want to start, Bruce-y? Do you want me to repeat myself and tell you how I feel?" Yes, that was Tony Stark and his wit. He felt as though he had a better hold on himself. Snark always worked when his mind couldn't.

"No, I'm fairly certain...that I understand what you were saying." Any bite that would have accompanied whatever Stark would say fell away at Banner's tone. It was quietly resigned. All of a sudden, the billionaire wasn't sure he wanted to have this conversation. "Darcy spoke to me, just a few minutes ago. She told me that while you can't control how you feel, you know what you'd be getting in to."

"Of course," he agreed immediately.

Bruce looked into Tony's eyes with intense seriousness. "I don't think you do, Tony. No one understands it." He took a deep breath and Tony didn't push him to talk. "I tried to kill myself; I told you. Right now, I'm not that - low. But that does not mean I won't be again. Even with all of my practice, I can't completely control the other guy. Therefore, I can't control what will happen when I can't control him. Eventually, something _will _happen. And I won't be able to control it."

"I can't exactly say I have a lot of experience," Tony drawled, "it is said that relationships are made of risks."

**OoOoO**

"Can I help you, Ms. Potts?" Steve asked automatically.

"It's Pepper, Steve. And yes, you can tell me where Tony is so I can throttle him."

"The last I saw, he was heading towards his office."

Pepper was striding towards the elevator before he could go on. She had left the door open. He hurriedly shut it and followed her. "Ms. Potts-"

"Pepper," she growled, stabbing her finger against the 'up' button to call the elevator.

"Pepper," he amended, "Stark was in a horrible mood earlier. I'm fairly sure he's been drinking as well."

"No surprise there," Pepper grumbled as they entered the elevator. She abused the button that led to Tony's office.

"I don't feel comfortable with you storming in there. He could start another fight." Steve said this gruffly, but with a definite tone behind it.

Startled, Pepper broke out of her angry haze and blinked at Steve. "I think that's the sweetest thing anyone's said to me in a long time, Mr. Rogers."

"Steve," he insisted.

She smiled. "Steve."

Then, the elevator stopped and the frown again marred her face. As soon as the doors opened, she was striding out of them. Steve was close behind, hoping nothing would happen. Tony was impulsive at best; adding alcohol only made it worse. Pepper didn't seem to have such worries. She reached the double doors to Stark's office and flung them open without preamble. However, any scolding or insulting immediately left her mind. Instead of being fixed in a frown, her mouth hung wide open. Likewise, Rogers was left gaping as well. With her anger replaced with a confused mixture of elation-depression-shock-_what?, _Pepper stepped backwards and closed the doors again. Steve turned to her, looking to confirm what they had seen.

Yes, they had just witnessed Tony Stark and Bruce Banner kissing.

**OoOoO**

"Hello?" Darcy mumbled into the phone. After her crying jag, she'd had dinner brought to her room and curled up with a cup of coffee. When she was properly nourished, the girl snuggled under Stark's luxurious guest bedroom blankets and planned to sleep for a good twelve hours. However, it was a mere eight hours later (at seven in the morning, no less) that her phone blaring _I Hate Myself for Loving You_ woke her up.

"When are you returning?" the voice on the other line snapped.

Immediately, Darcy was awake. A frown slipped across her lips and she ignored the fact that she'd been waiting for this call. "The same day I said I'd be coming back when I left."

She could practically hear the sneer in his voice. "It may have slipped your miniscule mind, but you never mentioned it."

"It may have slipped _your _overestimated mind," she snapped, "but I did mention it. Did you call me for anything other than to piss me off at seven in the damned morning?"

There was silence of the line. After a moment, a frustrated sigh slipped the caller's lips. "Do you still expect me to watch _Glee _while you're gone?"

A long string of curses nearly burst from the girl's mouth. How dare he call her before noon when she was sleeping, insult her, piss her off, and then manage to turn her into a pliable pile of teenage-esque, love-drunk mush? _Fuck love_, she though bitterly. "Do whatever you want," Darcy managed after a moment.

"Have one of those Neanderthals upset you? You aren't as witty as usual."

She wanted to scream. He shouldn't be concerned with her well-being when he was the one throwing it off. He shouldn't sound so angry at the prospect of someone upsetting her when he was the one that had done it. He shouldn't care when he clearly didn't! "No," she ground out, "everyone here is perfectly lovely. I'm having a great time."

The line was silent for a moment. "Good to know," he finally replied, in a clipped tone.

Darcy growled, wishing he wasn't the king of mixed signals. "Great. I'm going now. Tony promised to show me his lab today."

An ill-boding silence followed her comment. "Tony _Stark_?"

"Yes." That was said in a rather matter-of-fact voice. Smugly, she added, "I'm rather excited about it. Tony is fun."

"I hope you have a wonderful time." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"I probably will, if I can sort out his boyfriend problems." A very, very small part of Darcy hoped the last comment made him feel bad for anything he was insinuating would happen today. Then, the two were having a quick conversation about Tony's sexual preferences. It made her head spin. How could they go from trying to rip the other's heart out to wry, friendly comments in minutes?

"I'm afraid that if they don't sort everything out by Saturday, I'll have to be Tony's date to the benefit we're attending," she joked.

"You're attending a benefit?"

"Yeah. It's for the clean-up of New York. After everything-" _Oh, shit._ She stopped herself from continuing, but the damage was done.

"An entire night dedicated to my downfall? How touching."

"I didn't mean-"

"I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time, on the arm of the man that dealt the last blow in destroying my plans."

"Come on, just-"

"Will you share stories of how pathetic I've become without my powers, limited to only one of two people's sides or a handful of rooms? Will you make the masses laugh when you recall how I must be beside you to do anything outside of my prison?"

"If it's so goddamned hard being with me all the time, maybe you should have someone else fill my place!" With that, she furiously tapped the End Call button. It wasn't enough. Glaring, she heaved the phone across the room where it landed with a satisfying _smack _against the wall.

However, it was a Stark Industries cell phone. Tony had sent a pair to her and Jane a few months ago; it was built to withstand almost anything. Including being dropped in a lake, certain degrees of heat, and angry girl tantrums.

So, not a moment after it slid to the floor with a muted noise, Joan Jett filled the silence. Darcy ignored it and stomped to the bathroom connected to her guest room. Dealing with an ex-demi-god/current-Frost-Giant/human certainly called for a calming shower.

**OoOoO**

Jane Foster was beyond happy. She was elated. She was ecstatic. She was overjoyed, gleeful, smiley. She could write lists of synonyms to the simple word and it still couldn't describe her feelings.

All because of one man.

Er, demi-god.

The demi-god lying next to her, breathing evenly under the blankets they shared. Thor, with his arms wrapped securely around her and her nose buried in his neck. She was so happy, with her legs tangled with his and his scent all over her. In fact, she was even happy with her morning breath - because she knew that her toothbrush was sitting in the conjoined bathroom, on Thor's sink, and that they would later shuffle into the bathroom together and prepare for the day.

Together.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** I published this chapter without adding the **Author's Notes**, so I had to delete it. is not going crazy. Sorry about that.  
**2** Ha! Confrontation is over! Hm, did it live up to your standards?  
**3** Well, Steve and Pepper saw more than they probably wanted.  
**4** Poor, poor Darcy. Let's get something out of the way here. Last chapter, a few people seemed to get some "SpanglesxDarcy" feels. (I thank **Nerdy Qwerty** for the interesting name; I'm still undecided on what the actual name would be, suggestions?) Anyhow, I got the same feelings as I was writing the chapter. I hope this clears it up.  
**5** There were a few references to my story _Never Been Kissed_, when it comes to the Loki/Darcy chat. I will finish that, one day.  
**6** Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm off to the circus. Uh, to watch. Not perform.


	16. Botheration

It was another one of those nights.

One of those nights where the former Romanova needed nothing more than to forget.

This time, however, was different than usual. Instead of sitting in the kitchen with a flask or bottle, Natasha was lying on her back, staring at the stars. Beside her, on the creaking dock, was one Darcy Lewis. The girl was certainly odd, facing the water and singing some song the spy had never heard.

"_Stuck in reverse... And the tears come streaming down your face... When you lose something you can't replace... When you love someone and it goes to waste... Could it be worse?_"

Natasha, personally, thought it could be worse. But the song nearly convinced her otherwise. The words were a tad haunting; the melody more so. The redhead just lay quietly and listened to the husky voice of the young girl beside her. It blocked out her memories as well as the rum. The song was nice; even if the girl was a bit pitchy, she had a sweet voice. Thinking of the girl singing led to thinking of the girl in general.

Darcy Lewis was a bit of an enigma to Natasha. On one hand, she had seen nowhere near the destruction, death, and deceit the older woman had. On the other, there was a solemn hint of wisdom in her quirky words. Such as when she had spoken to Steve about Banner and Stark fighting, the girl had a very good point. She also knew how to get the point across to Rogers. Most people floundered for a while until they found the perfect way to say something. The girl had mentioned she held a political science degree, so perhaps that had helped. Somehow, Natasha doubted it. Her words had come quickly and flawlessly. It was as if Darcy was infinitely younger and slightly wiser than Natasha.

For that, Natasha envied her.

The girl had moved on to another song, now. Something about the lyrics were reminiscent of the first song's. Her voice was softer this time, mournful, and it didn't seem to match the song.

"_When I see your smile, tears roll down my face..._"

Yes, Darcy Lewis was an enigma.

For a while, though, that would get them through the night.

**OoOoO**

Barton stared out the window of his room; he saw the two women laying on the dock. He'd contemplated joining them. Darcy had been there first, then Natasha went outside to see what in the world she was doing. The two exchanged a few words, and suddenly there were two of them staring at the stars.

Lately, Natasha seemed a bit off. He had asked if anything was bothering her, but received no answer. This had happened a couple times in the past. _Hopefully_, he thought solemnly, _she isn't having nightmares again._

He briefly remembered the few months in which she would show up at his door in the middle of the night, begging for a spar. Each time, he simply nodded and followed her to the S.H.I.E.L.D. gym. After all, it was better than seeing her glassy-eyed and silent in the morning and gently prying the bottle out of her hand. Thankfully, neither Fury or Coulson ever commented on those days.

But his partner wasn't giving anything up, as usual. She seemed neither tired nor on edge, but she was trained for that. Sometimes, Clint wished he could say he knew Natasha. On days like this, he knew that would be a lie. So he just watched her closely and hoped for the best.

**OoOoO**

In another part of the house, two men sat facing one another in an awkward silence. Finally, one spoke.

"Tony..."

"No, Bruce. I can do this."

"This is going a bit fast, don't you think?"

"Of course not. We're both fully prepared for this."

"There are _certain dangers _to doing this-"

"And I don't really care about them."

"I don't think we should-"

"We need to do this!"

Sighing, Bruce covered his face with both hands. "Tony, I'm quite good at this - not to say that you aren't - and I think you should _listen _to me."

"I have _plenty _of experience. I know exactly what I'm doing. Now, just, shift that to the left, a tad."

"I'm not going to do it, Tony."

"Bruce-y, I _need _you."

"Finish it by yourself. It's too dangerous. I'm not risking this entire building and everyone in it for a bit of satisfaction."  
"But it would be so satisfying-"

"I know, Tony."

"-and I know what I'm doing-"

"So you've said. Repeatedly."

"-so you should just trust me."

"I do trust you. But I am not helping you create such a molecularly unstable element at," he checked his watch, "two forty-two in the morning. I'm going to bed."

A sly grin made its way onto the other man's face. "Lovely. I'll join you." He paused and gave Bruce a heated glance. "You know, Bruce, I _do _have plenty of experience, and it would _very _satisfying-"

"I'm changing the password to my room," Bruce deadpanned.

Laughing, Tony wrapped his arm around the man and said, "I'd hack into the room in a minute."

"Worth a shot."

**OoOoO**

Jane and Thor woke slowly, enjoying being so close to one another. They went about their morning routines and met back in front of the bed. Instead of the expected confessions of love or sweet words, Thor looked at Jane with a furrowed brow and said, "I am worried about Darcy Lewis."

Ignoring the twinge of annoyance at dealing with something other than their relationship so early in the morning, Jane asked why.

"She has become moody and silent. I have not seen her jumping around the Man of Iron or poking Hawkeye. She simply listens to her Pod and reads those books with shirtless men clutching women on the front."

Jane's brow furrowed as well. Had Darcy been distant? She always listened to her iPod, so that was nothing new. However, the trashy, grocery store romance novels were a sure sign of her friend being upset. Suddenly, Jane felt incredibly guilty. She had taken Darcy away from home and work (and Loki, who was sometimes her friend?) just for a visit with Thor. Of course, Darcy hadn't complained. Maybe she was lonely. If she was being honest with herself, Jane hadn't made any time at all for her friend lately.

"Oh, Thor, I feel horrible. I haven't even noticed. I'm going to go check on her."

He nodded quickly. "Wondrous. I shall dress and go find the delicious toaster pastries Lady Darcy showed me."

Jane smiled as she made her way to the elevator. However, her smile didn't last for long. It was a tad early, around eight, but Darcy was normally up much sooner. She wasn't in her room, the living room, kitchen, or gym (which she mainly visited to bother Hawkeye). On a whim, Jane decided to check the gardens.

"Darce? Are you out here?" Jane peeked around the rose bushes, but didn't see anyone.

"She's on the dock," came a deep voice behind her.

Jumping, she spun around to see Agent Barton sitting on a stone bench with a book. She relaxed. "Thank you, Agent Barton. Do you know what's she doing on the dock?" Darcy had a (not-so) secret fear of deep water, so her location was perplexing.

"Feel free to call me Clint. I expect to be seeing a lot of you, since you're with Thor and all. Darcy and Natasha have been out there for hours. They were looking at the stars and talking last night; I dunno what they're doing now."

Jane hummed, a confused sound. "Alright. Thank you, again. Enjoy your book, Clint."

"No problem."

Making her way to the dock, Jane wondered why Darcy was with Agent Romanov on the dock. Sure, the two seemed to get along rather well when they had spoken, but Jane wasn't aware of them speaking often. It seemed odd. Although, most things were odd with Jane's assistant-come-close-friend.

As she neared the dock, Jane called out for Darcy. Of course, she didn't receive an answer. Instead, she found her friend lying on her back and listening to her iPod. The Black Widow sat as though she were meditating. Jane wondered if she was. The closer she got, she could hear Darcy singing along.

"_I'm - no - good for you. This heart ain't built for two so, runaway. Runaway. 'Cause I'm no, I'm no, I'm no good for you_."

"Darcy!"

Blinking at Jane standing over her, Darcy pulled out one earbud. Her foot tapped along to the beat to replace her singing. "What's up, Doc?"

"Can we talk?"

Natasha stood. "I'm going to kick Barton's ass in a spar. I hear he's in the gardens." And then it was just the two of them.

Confused, Jane stared after the spy. With a shrug, she sat next to Darcy.

"I've learned she's rather understanding. And likes Coldplay." Jane gave her an odd look, which was completely normal. "Anyways, what did you want to talk about?"

"You seem...sad, lately."

"I'm not sad. Kind of angry. Loki pissed me off right before we left." _And each time I've talked to him afterwards. _"But it's no big deal." _Unless you're in love with him - oh, wait, I am. _"It's nothing a bit of Supernatural can't fix."

The older woman was relieved. She'd worried that something was really wrong with Darcy. Loki being a jerk was plenty reason to be upset, though. She smiled at her younger friend. "_Supernatural_?" Jane teased. "What happened to your precious _Glee_?"

It reminds me too much of what I'm avoiding. "I'm caught up on it. But I've missed a lot of _Supernatural_. Plus, have you seen Dean? I mean, Darren Criss is one fine specimen of man. But he holds nothing to Jensen Ackles."

Jane replied with a laugh and another relieved smile. That sounded much more like her friend. Maybe everything would be alright after all.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** The songs Darcy sang include Fix You by Coldplay, Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and Killer by The Ready Set. In that order.  
**2** I totally bet you guys weren't expecting that with Tony and Bruce.  
**3** Aw, poor Barton with his conflicted emotions.  
**4** Actually, aw, poor Darcy, with her hardcore boy problems.  
**5** I blame math for making this chapter late. You can too.


	17. Coming Outs and Making Dates

Darcy banged both of her fists against the door again. If this kept up, she would have bruises on the sides of her hands. And that is no place to get bruises. "Tony, I swear to God, if you don't get out here right now, I'm going to tell Thor you're the reason the PopTarts are gone."

A bit faster than he normally would have, Tony stepped out of the lab and into the hallway. "Whoa, there, Pop Culture. There is no need for that. I'm right here. What do you need?"

"You forgot to mention this gala is Invited-Plus-One. Where the hell does that leave me?"

"First of all, Darce, it isn't a gala. It's a benefit banquet. And aren't you going with the All-American Reject?"

"No, Spangles is going with Pepper."

"Excuse me, did you just hallucinate?"

"Uh, no."

"Am I delusional?"

"No, just deaf."

"Or in denial," called Bruce. Darcy craned her neck to see him over Tony's shoulder. He was tapping at a touch screen with one hand and stirring something with the other. Ah, _actual _science. She hated it.

"Big Guy, please tell me you and Tony haven't decided to go as a couple! I'll buy you flowers before I ask?"

Bruce chuckled, sitting the chemicals or whatever science-y stuff he had aside and pulling off his safety glasses. "Tony actually hasn't brought it up. But now I expect flowers from whichever one of you ask."

As if snapping out of his denial-induced haze, he glared at Darcy. "Of course Bruce-y Boy and I are going together. Why wouldn't we?"

"Maybe because Tony Stark, playboy extraordinaire, isn't out of the closet?"

"The public loves me no matter what. I could tell them Nixon was the greatest President of the United States and they would still cheer me on."

Bruce and Darcy shared a look.

"Hey! It's true. I'm lovable. Just ask Bruce?"

Bruce gave Darcy a much more pointed look after Stark said that. She chuckled while Tony pretended to pout about Bruce's "emotional abuse." After a moment, she pulled the attention back to her problem. "You know, _abusing _Tony isn't getting me a date."

Mock-glaring at Bruce, Tony slung his arm around the girl's shoulders. "She has a very good point, Banner."

**OoOoO**

"Barton, I can't go with you tonight," Natasha said casually, just as the archer ducked to avoid a particularly vicious kick from the redhead.

Swiftly moving back into place and moving to land a blow to her stomach, he asked, "Why not?"

Natasha grunted as she blocked the forceful blow. "Fury has me on assignment."

A few more moves were exchanged - including an excellent attempt to flip Barton onto his back - before Hawkeye responded. "Alright." He had been waiting for his companion to add something, a complaint or detail about the assignment, but she hadn't. Therefore, he knew better than to press for more information. _Maybe that's what's been making her so melancholy lately_, Clint thought grimly. _If so, I hope she kicks plenty of ass tonight._

**OoOoO**

A shaking hand reached for the dainty cell phone incased in pink plastic on the table. The hand was covered in smooth and unblemished, though a tad rough, olive skin. Five neatly trimmed, clean, unpainted nails tapped against the phone's screen indecisively. After a long moment, the long fingers wrapped themselves around the electronic and picked it up. Smooth movements of the thumb and forefinger unlocked the phone. A bit of navigating and tapping led making a phone call.

Four hearts stuttered at the dialing tone. Two of the heartbeats picked up in anxious excitement. One in fear. And finally, one slowed in a sense of foreboding.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all..."

"Camelia," came the sharp reply. The dial tone punctuated the silence. Quickly, "You know this has to be done. It's so easy; threaten a few things, put out the story, make tons of money because one guy in New York happens to be a pouf."

An oily smile crossed the lips of a much older man. "Ah, but it isn't just one guy in New York. It's-"

_"Tony Stark speaking."_

"Mr. Stark, I think we have a few things that would interest you."

_"Don't bank on it. If it interests me, I probably own it. Or invented it."_

"Or share food with it in a small Italian restaurant, letting it taste your spaghetti and sharing a rather, _ah_, intimate look while you were caught in the moment."

_"What are you talking about?" _He didn't miss a beat.

"Earlier this week you were seen at an Italian restaurant called The Olive Branch with another man. He was taller, though shorter than you, and broad, with dark hair and eyes. He ordered the cannelloni and you the spaghetti. You chatted a bit, drank an entire bottle of the restaurant's wine, and your companion sampled your food. I have a few _compromising _pictures of the evening."

_"Well, congratulations on being able to take photos! I hear most people only require the skill at around age two or three."_

"Now, now, Mr. Stark. I wouldn't be so cheeky if I were you. Unless you can convince me otherwise - and sarcasm isn't awfully convincing, now is it? - one of New York's best magazines will publish the pictures and a rather _suggestive _story along with it. In about twenty-four hours."

_"And just how am I supposed to convince you? Should I send you one of those lovely edible bouquets? I hear they're quite the rage nowadays. Healthy, creative, and thoughtful."_

"I was thinking more along the lines of lining my pockets, or my bank account, with a few Stark donations."

_"Well, dear, I'm sorry to say Tony Stark has rarely ever been called charitable. Wouldn't want to ruin my reputation now, would I?"_

Then there was silence.

Veronica pursed her lips and watched as the call vanished from her phone. She turned to the man with the oily smile. "It looks like you'll be buying my photos after all." His grin grew and she handed him a pen. Moments later, the autographed cheque slid across the table between them to seal the deal.

Two hearts pumped strongly in satisfaction; one in relief. Another fluttered with nervousness.

Despite what her sister and boyfriend thought, Camelia was unsure about the deal.

Veronica, as the Americans so eloquently put it, didn't give a damn.

**OoOoO**

Snorting at the phone in his hand, Tony Stark flung it aside and strutted to the elevator. After an impatient ride down two floors, he made his way to the gardens outside his house. It was humid, uncomfortably so when one wore a suit, and Tony wanted to hurry. He gazed around at all of the various flowers before throwing himself into action. Hastily, he put together a few orange roses (the ones without thorns, thank deity for science), a few pink lilies, and...some purple things. He quickly arranged them, made his way to the kitchen, emptied the vase that sat in there, and replaced the flowers with the freshly picked bouquet in his hand. (Why the hell didn't I use the ones in the vase?)

Satisfied, he moved on to the lab. Banner was testing his logarithms on the computer. Perfect. Smiling, Tony silently made his way into the lab. Bruce didn't notice so far. Stark crept closer, closer, until he was directly behind the other scientist. Smirk in place, he leaned down until his could whisper in the broader man's ear. "Here's your bouquet, darling." Then he thrust the vase right before Bruce's face, causing the man to blink repeatedly until he realized what was going on.

Bruce Banner turned his chair a bit and took one look at Tony Stark holding a vase of mismatched flowers out to him before he burst into hearty chuckles. After he regained his composure, he took the vase in hand and examined the flowers. "No fruit bouquets?"

"Nope. You said _flowers_."

"That I did."

A devilish smirk took over Tony's face. "Now, Bruce-y, I just got the most _interesting _phone call. I figured you would be just the one to help me sort this out."

Bruce sighed. Tony was clearly up to something. And he would a part of it, from the look on the other man's face.

_The things I do for love._

**OoOoO**

"So..."

"Sooo..."

"Alright, kid, I'm just-"

"I am not a kid! I'm a college graduate, above legal drinking age, certainly know more about shagging than Spangles-"

"Alright, alright." He paused. Then he was laughing nearly uncontrollably. "Did you just..." His speech was interrupted by sniggers. "...say that you know more about _shagging _than _Spangles_?"

"...I like British slang. _Harry Potter _and _Doctor Who _do that to you."

"...You like Harry Potter?"

"I've read all the books."

"Which one was your favorite?"

"Any one but _Order of the Phoenix_. I can't handle Sirius dying."

"He was pretty badass. I liked his motorcycle."

"...You've read the books?"

"My favorite was _Goblet of Fire_, because there was a certain character growth in that book that set a lot of things in place."

"Why the hell does Stark call you Birdbrain?"

"I prefer Legolas."

"You're an _LotR _fan, too."

"Yup."

Darcy Lewis gave Clint Barton a solid once-over and nodded. "I hear Natasha can't make it tonight. You'll be a fine pretend-date to this disaster."

"Miss Lewis, I'd be honored to be your pretend-date." Then he gave a devious smile. "_It is our choices that make us what we truly are, far more than our abilities_."

"Stop quoting Dumbledore! You may replace Stark as my favorite Avenger. I don't know if I can handle that. Unless you come out as a Gleek, too. Then I could cope."

**1 **We all know how Thor is with his PopTarts...**  
2 **I am ridiculously proud of that "All American Reject" line, so don't pop my bubble of giggly happiness by telling me if you have a negative opinion of it.**  
3 **Hmm. Why's Black Widow being weird?**  
4 **I'm sure all of you are jumping for joy over the return of Veronica.**  
5 **No? Maybe at Plan A being demolished?**  
6 **Those damn Plan B's...**  
7** I took the liberty of doing too much research again. For Bruce's bouquet, Tony included six orange, thornless roses; pink-red Stargazer lilies; and a bit of lavender. Six roses indicates a need to be loved and cherished. Orange roses mean enthusiasm (we all know Tony has plenty of that), desire, and fascination. Thornless roses convey love at first sight. Pink-red Stargazer lilies wish prosperity and healing. Lavender represents silence, purity, and luck; it also gives a message of devotion. I think this is the perfect bouquet from Tony to Bruce.**  
8 **I totally wrote "Starkgazer lilies" at first.**  
9 **The Harry Potter quote was said by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (because I enjoy his full name) in _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_.**  
10 **Also, I know I am very late and made you guys wait. I had RL (real life, not Remus Lupin - sadly) things going on. Pesky reality. I want to thank you all for your support and promise an update or even two in the coming week.


	18. Panic!

"Tony, is that what you're wearing?"

Tony Stark stood in the middle of his overly gigantic bathroom, admiring himself in three floor to ceiling mirrors. Bruce Banner, his date for the night (and any following, if Stark had his way), leaned against the door frame behind him. Their eyes locked in the mirror and the taller man cocked an eyebrow at his companion.

"Of course it is. I'm not Thor. I don't play dress-up."

Slowly, Banner's eyes traveled the length of Tony's body. Stark wore a deep black suit with miniscule, off-white pinstripes. His hair was stylishly disheveled and briefly made Bruce think of anything but attending banquets. In Stark's left hand was a black cane (walking stick? was there a difference?) with a shiny, silver, small (but certainly eye-catching) figurine of Iron Man's head. Polished black shoes tied off the outfit.

Banner smirked, and inquired, "Pinstripes?"

"I heard The Scientist's Minion singing earlier." A playful smile made it's way to Tony's lips as he sang, "_When you wear black slacks with accentuating, off-white pinstripes, whoa, everything goes according to plan_." The grin in his eyes matched the one on his mouth perfectly. "It felt like a sign to me. Besides, pinstripes are fashionable."

"I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way of fashion. I'll just be thankful Darcy wasn't singing about nudists."

With a barked laugh, Tony added, "I must agree. While I'm sure you're quite attractive when jealous, I'm not so sure I could stop you from turning into a Not-so-Jolly Green Giant and stomping on all the salivating socialites."

**OoOoO**

Steve, Thor, and Clint sat in the living room, watching _Forrest Gump_. Steve had nearly caught up with modern day film and Barton thought this would be perfect the perfect movie to watch while they awaited their respective dates to be ready. Thor took a liking to Bubba; he laughed nearly every time the man said something.

When Bubba was telling Forrest about all the different kinds of shrimp dishes he knew of, Darcy Lewis came barreling into the room in only a pair of black tights and a large T-shirt. Her hair was cutely curled and she was even wearing a tasteful amount of lightly applied make-up. As usual, her iPod was in hand and earbuds in place. The moment she noticed she wasn't alone in the room, she froze her dancing and paused the music. Steve was politely looking away from the scantily clad girl; Thor was still laughing along with the movie. (Barton would later wonder if he was too used to the girl's behavior.) At the moment though, Clint was juggling admiring Darcy's looks and laughing at her embarrassment.

Awkwardly, Darcy rubbed the back of her neck. Her shirt slipped up a tad. "So, uh, what're you guys doing? Shouldn't you be getting ready? Why are you all dressed like New York's gonna be attacked again?"

"Friend Darcy! You must see this! Have you ever had shrimp? Apparently, there are many ways to prepare the dish. There's fried shrimp, shrimp gumbo-"

"Yeah, Thor, I've seen _Forrest Gump_. Gotta love Bubba. Lieutenant Dan is my favorite, though." Thor didn't appear to hear her, however.

"-pineapple shrimp, shrimp soup, broiled shrimp-"

As the god of thunder waxed poetic about shrimp, Clint pulled himself together. "Fury said it would look good if most of us showed up _in costume_, as he put it. We're waiting on our dates to be finished getting ready." He couldn't help the way his eyes wondered down her legs. "I'm not complaining about the way you're dressed, but I figure the big wigs would like more than a _Mountain Dew _shirt and some tights."

Grinning, Darcy jutted out her hip and struck a pose. "Who cares what they think? I'm hot." Then she unpaused her music and slid back down the hallway in her tights.

Steve turned his head towards Clint a bit more. "Is she gone?"

"It's safe to look, Cap."

"You, Hawkeye, have a handful for a date."

"I, Cap'n, have a hot date."

"-shrimp on a stick, barbeque shrimp-"

**OoOoO**

Natasha sat across the table from Director Fury. Her eyes were focused on a single sheet of paper laid before her. It held her instructions. It was a detailed list, even though it could be worded as simply as: Travel there, meet the man, get the information, travel back, report to Fury only, go home. She closed her eyes briefly, a slow blink, before meeting Fury's gaze again. It wasn't exactly cold. More so detached, professional, business-like.

"We tried to gather the information from the cameras placed in his cell. He only spoke to his brother and his guard. When he spoke, nothing of use was said." Fury paused. "I know you don't want to do this, but you don't have a choice. You're our best. So I'm sending you." Fury's voice matched his eyes.

Using his tone, Natasha said, "I never complain about or turn down a mission. It's unprofessional and petty."

His gaze focused, zooming in on her face, which masked her discontentment perfectly. "Of course you don't. You're our best, the Black Widow. But that doesn't mean you look forward to every mission, either." It's true she's their best; she knew it. Natalia Romanova could talk circles around anyone and make them think they had the upper hand. Besides, it's not like Clint could go on this mission.

She refused to open up to Director Fury, to let him know just how much she dreaded this. Her heart pumped sluggishly, but too fast at the same time. Continuing to meet his stare, she asked, "What time does my plane leave?"

Fury stood. "As soon as you're on board."

"I'll be back a few hours."

"That's all I ask."

But it wasn't. He was asking her to face one of the very few people she dreaded. He was asking her to walk into the (chained) lion's den. He was asking her to ignore her instincts. He was asking her to act like nothing was wrong and return as if it were any other mission.

But it wasn't.

**OoOoO**

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

_Maybe we should have just left them alone._

_Maybe I should have told her that it was a good idea._

_Maybe she should have known better._

_Maybe the situation would turn out for the better._

_Maybe it would take a turn for the worst._

_Maybe those damned photos should have been deleted._

_Maybe all the money would be worth it._

_Maybe Tony Stark would make sure _none _of this is worth it._

Camelia put her face in her hands, ignoring the sounds of her boyfriend and sister talking in the next room. Earlier, they were talking about what they could do with the money. She'd turned in early to avoid being part of the discussion. But she couldn't sleep. All the worries she had about selling the photos to that sleazy man with the rat face burned behind her eyes. Nothing she did stopped them. She gave another sigh and reached for her sister's cell phone.

**OoOoO**

"Is there a reason you're calling me again? Because I'm in the middle of getting ready for the banquet tonight and don't appreciate interruptions. Let alone interruptions from a little girl playing a game that goes way over her head," Stark snapped into his phone. He was alone in the kitchen, getting a mug of coffee for Banner and a whiskey for himself.

There was a moment of noises that could have been the beginning of words on the other line. "I'm, uh, sorry, Mr. Stark. I'm Camelia, my sister Veronica is the one that called you. She was your waitress at _The Olive Branch_. My parents own the place."

"It's all fine and dandy that you're related to my blackmailer, but what does it have to do with you choosing to bother me?"

"I don't mean to bother you, I honestly wanted to apologize. My sister-"

"Apology not accepted, dear."

And, once again, Tony Stark hung up. He didn't need to hear any of the crap she was trying to feed him. He had better things to do, better places to be, and better people to talk to. (Although that last one was questionable; socialites weren't great for conversation.)

**OoOoO**

The plane touched down in Nowhere, New Mexico nearly two hours later. Natasha nodded to the pilot and made her way to the waiting car. She unlocked it and began the final leg of her journey. It wasn't long - maybe a twenty minute drive. She drove in silence. It made her wish, for a moment, that she had the strange company of Darcy Lewis. Perhaps the distraction would keep her mind off the dread that kept creeping back into her mind.

Darcy Lewis certainly wouldn't dread the trip. Natasha hadn't a problem noticing how the girl felt. In fact, Darcy Lewis would be _excited _to be making this trip.

Ignorant girl.

_Love is for children._

A small, traitorous part of her mind spoke otherwise. _That isn't true. You have a semblance of love for Clint, don't you? And even your weary eyes can see the way Tony and Bruce look at each other._

_I don't love Clint. I care for him and worry about him when it is fit. That is not love. _ She grit her teeth, unable to see the point in arguing with herself yet knowing if she didn't, it would be disastrous.

_But Tony and Bruce. They love each other. Darcy certainly thinks herself in love._

_I don't doubt the existence of love. I find it petty, weak, and superfluous._

_People feel that way about many things: war, peace, love, hate..._

_Then I can relate to how they feel._

Natasha put the car in park, turned off the key, unbuckled, and opened the door. She slid out of the car in a smooth movement. The door shut with a soft noise.

Had she not known about it beforehand, she never would have guessed this to be where S.H.I.E.L.D. was keeping Loki. The apartment building was stood four stories fairly nice, though a bit run-down. The windows seemed sleepy and the paint dull. However, everything looked as though it worked. The fine wooden doors to the lobby were proud and tall. As she entered, Natasha kept track of all the entrances and exits. While doing so, she noted that the building was styled for homey rather than elegance. It was...nice.

Shelving any remnants of distress, she entered the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. Natasha felt as though she was leaving her stomach, and her sense, on the first floor.

**OoOoO**

Generous as always, Tony loaned a car to each couple attending the banquet. (Of course, he and Bruce would take the Audi.)

Steve shifted awkwardly as he waited for Stark to throw him a set of keys. He was going to pick up Pepper, who had agreed to be his date for the night. His eyes flickered to Bruce. The scientist was sitting in a computer chair, twisting away at a Rubix Cube.

"So, Spangles. You're taking Peps to the big shindig tonight? I didn't know you two were courting. You give her your letterman yet?" Stark was leaning against one of the cars, cane/walking stick in hand. Bruce shot him a look.

"Tony," he called. A warning laced his tone.

"Sh, dear. I'm doing the over-protective-strong-male-influence role. I've always wanted to do this." Tony turned back to Steve. "Now, Capscile..."

"Look, Stark. I know how to treat a woman with respect. Above all else, I can do that. Now, will you throw me a set of keys so I can go pick up Miss Potts?"

Bruce kept a careful eye on the two of them. Tony was tense; he watched every movement Steve made and probably dissected every word. On the other hand, Steve glared at Tony with hard eyes. He looked patient though. Stark's jaw tightened.

"I'm sure your 50's manners are still intact, but I want to make sure you know to apply them when it comes to Pepper."

Steve's eyes hardened further, but he gave a sharp nod. Banner could see the tension rolling off the other man; he clearly wanted to retort. Instead, he conceded to what Tony was saying without hostility or question.

Eyes narrowing for a few minutes, Tony finally gave a nod of his own. With a flick of his wrist, a pair of keys were making their way towards Rogers. Steve caught them with a steady hand.

"Thanks, Stark."

"Don't hurt 'er," Tony replied. Clearly, he wasn't talking about the car. Rogers nodded and climbed into the car the other man pointed out. Moments later, he was driving out of the garage.

Banner smirked. "Tony, you're getting soft."

"Shut up and get in the car, dear."

"I'm done with my Rubix Cube, Tony."

"Well, if you want to practice-"

"I'm fairly certain your kind of practicing has nothing to do with solving the puzzle block."

"Wanna find out?"

**Author's Notes:**

**1** The song Tony references and sings is There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of it Yet by Panic! at the Disco.  
**2** The band is also where I got the title of this chapter.  
**3** Ah, Forrest Gump. Great movie.  
**4** I totally couldn't resist having Thor name all the types of shrimp dishes. It just made my day.  
**5** Clint/Darcy feels. If it wasn't for Loki, I'd ship it.  
**6** And a mystery with Natasha?  
**7** Ah, guilt. It makes us do crazy things. At least their parents raised one decent child.  
**8** Snark!Stark returns. Not that he ever really left...  
**9** Then Natasha starts talking to herself... Nah, but really. Internal conflicts are the best.  
**10** We end on a comical note, with a dash of character growth and sprinkle of sweetness.


End file.
